


Be my cure

by TheUnknownDeity (orphan_account)



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Actual Murder, Betrayal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Faked Murder, Falling In Love, Hurt me I don't care, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Near Death, No longer care, Slow Burn, Stars in the skies, Staying the same, The story may end in a good way, Understand me, What Was I Thinking?, i can relate, until the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-05-13 00:57:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5688442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/TheUnknownDeity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cases are a start<br/>The more and more we drift apart<br/>No longer will you have my heart<br/>Someone unexpected seems to care<br/>The pain I wear<br/>The pain I didn't know you cared<br/>May I have your hand<br/>So you can be my cure and understand</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stab in the heart

**Author's Note:**

> My second fanfic is Detective Conan! Oh yes! New year is here and so is a new fanfic! Hope you enjoy the new year as much as you enjoy the fanfic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My second fanfic is Detective Conan! Oh yes! New year is here and so is a new fanfic! Hope you enjoy the new year as much as you enjoy the fanfic

Storms strike in the late night. Dreams paints a scenery inside the minds of the unawakened. Streetlights lit the outside of linoleum white. "Ran-neechan cares. Maybe she has a reason to put me outside." 

Temperatures descends sixty to fifty. The moon hides behind clouds, afraid to be seen. "Making me sleep under a thin blanket." The sky cries. It knows the actuality. "I protect her. She loves me." Winds sung light but had force. Harmony the storm bespoke. Combine to one. Realize the truth it said.

Verity arrives at nightfall. 

"You feeling alright Conan? You look sick." A lack of caring drips in Haibara's voice. "Fine." Conan replies regardless. "The antidote?" Haibara gave up long ago. "Still a working process." Conan is blind enough to believe it. Haibara hates being the one to lie. It masticates her heart. But Conan will understand her explanation. Once he discovers the truth. 

"Good." He leaves to take a warm, morning shower. "I have more to work on." Ran flashes her overly expensive jewelry. "A hot boy I met gave me these, no charge!" Conan is also not aware Ran is seeing many men. Exchanging intercourse to receive free gifts. 

Haibara steals a ring from her, face beaming. "Woah! These had to be at least a thousand dollars!" Flipping her hair, Ran gives Haibara the receipt. "... The price of the bracelets!" A door creaks. "Ran, Conan is coming." Rings, earrings, bracelets, and a necklace vanishes into Ran's purse. 

Haibara and Conan wave Ran goodbye as they head to Teitan Elementary.  
Ayumi grimaces. 'Conan resembles a sick person.' Another thought ruptures. 'Ai is so pretty in any outfit she wears!' Ai and Conan sits. "Hi Haibara!" Ayumi passes her some crayons. "Hello Ayumi." Haibara colors a random picture inside a coloring book. Conan sneezes. "A cold?" Mitsuhiko guesses right. "A minor one." Conan's attention is directed to the TV in the classroom. 

"The infamous jewel thief Kaitou Kid has again stole a prized jewel and is on the loose as we speak. Officials say he might strike again tonight—" The teacher cuts off the TV. Conan grabs some tissue and gets his Conan phone. "Teacher may I use the bathroom?" The teacher nods. Conan goes in the bathroom then locks it. 

He dials Takagi's number. "Hey Conan. The red blush diamond heist I presume? I seen it on TV too."  
"Tonight. Around eight. The heist itself will broadcast so many can see him steal the same jewel.  
"But he stole the jewel." Conan disbelieves the statement. "A fake jewel. If you observe the jewel at an precise angle, you can notice the diamond has four unequal lines. Thus making it a fake diamond Takagi."  
"No wonder people call you the great detective Conan." Conan responds by a chuckle. "See you tonight Conan." He slips the phone into his pocket.  
Midnight moon shines bright as it lights the darkness as the second heist begin. Hundreds of thousands await KID's arrival. In a poof if white light KID swings over the crowd. Swapping the diamonds, KID waves to all the people. Bullets soar the sky as KID makes a quick getaway using his hang glider cape.

"Tantei-kun is nowhere in sight." He safely lands on a tall building. "KID." A mischievous smile forms on Kaitou's face. "Tantei-kun! It warms my heart to see your adorable face!" Conan keeps his wrist watch close. "Shut it and hand over the jewel you swapped." KID gasps. "Me swap a genuine gem? Overly absurd Tantei-kun." Conan fires the dart. KID vanishes. "Dr. Agasa should put another dart in this watch." KID reappears. "He should." Conan neglected to realize he had the jewel. "Conan, close then open your hands." Conan flashes a you-think-I-am-going-to-fall-for-that look. 

KID slowly walks to Conan. Conan takes huge steps back. Cornered, KID removes his white gloves. He closes Conan's hands. "Now open them." With no choice, he opens them. "The blush red diamond?" KID jumps off the building. Conan runs to the edge. KID was gone. "A magician. I should call Takegi." He check his pockets. "My phone!" Conan actually had the smallest of smiles. "KID. Such an arrogant thief. He is definitely getting a soccer ball kicked right to his face." Conan leaves the building. 

Once he returns the diamond to its rightful place, he hurries home. Thinking of many excuses to tell Ran of why he was out at night. 

At the front door were a sleeping bag and a pillow. The Mouri residence was dark. "Must be fast asleep. At least now I don't have to make up any excuses." Conan personally hates sleeping outside. Since it was Ran's house, it was Ran's rules. 

"Tantei-kun! It warms my heart to see your adorable face!" It echoes through Conan's mind the entire night. Did KID mean it? "KID is very childish." His mind thought differently but his heart felt another hidden emotion. "Stupid KID." The whole night encircles the words KID said to Conan. 

"More points for Mouri Ran!" The morning after the heist, Ran applauds to herself liked she won a award. "Is there a reason for you to be so happy Ran-neechan?" Ran halts all clapping. "Conan! I had the best sleep ever!" She lies easily. 'Conan has no right to know the real truth.' Haibara enters the kitchen. "Ran! How was your sleep?" She knew the reason Ran was applauding. Ran scores cash last night from a man she had slept with. 

Ran pushes Conan to the stairs. "Don't you have school to get to?"  
"No Ran-neechan. Its the weekend." Ran remembers Conan came home at night. 

"Where were you last night Conan?" An excuse rolls into Conan's mind. "I had to take a relaxing walk Ran-neechan." Ran accepts the excuse. Even though she fails to know it's an excuse. 

"My phone." Conan dresses himself and hops on his turbo engine skateboard. "Conan!" He hears her voice. "Just going to get some ice cream! Be back soon!" Ending the conversation, Conan sped out the door. 

Haibara knew Conan wasn't really getting ice cream. He was going to KID. "Ran?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Conan is going to KID." Ran almost lost her balance. "The thief?"  
"Yep. He lied to you saying he was going to get ice cream. He lies to you almost everyday Ran Mouri. Either to 'catch' KID or to be get involved in murder cases asmd such." Ran breathes in. "Conan is gonna get it." She angrily responds. "Conan's location?"  
"A pinpoint location? I may know." 

Conan runs up the circling stairs until the view of the top shone. "Tantei-kun! My cute little detective! What brings you here?" He tosses the phone in the air then catches it. "The phone. Give me the phone." KID leans to the edge. "Give me a kiss." Conan's eye twitched. "No KID." KID leans further to the edge. Conan's tolerance gets the upper hand. "Fine." KID leans in, away from the edge. 

Conan mumbles as he comes closer to KID. "Once." Conan reminds KID. Conan nervously moves closer to KID. Afraid since he never kissed anybody. A few good seconds finally ends when their lips meet. Conan immediately reverses rearward. "G-Give m-me t-the p-phone." KID knew it was Conan's first kiss. "Look at your tomato face! Priceless! Oh my gosh!" KID could not stop laughing. 

Haibara and Ran had had enough of watching. "CONAN!!!" KID's laughing ceases. "Ran-neechan." Conan got lost in a thought. 'How did Ran find me?' Haibara refuses to look in Conan. "Haibara." Conan denies believing Haibara told her where he was. "You know KID and you never put him in jail or worse for his theft?!" Conan at this point had no clue what to say. 

Is there anything he can say to her? Sorry Ran, I like chasing KID around? Should he tell her the complete truth? 

"No excuses Conan. The real truth."


	2. Lost you before I could stop it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People should know my first chapter is always shorter! I dislike it but it is! So what? It is way better than a one shot. Those really annoy for some reason. I don't know. 
> 
> Anyways, the story continues...

The sun stood its ground in the sky. People talk about anything coming from their probably curious personalities. But some had other subjects to touch upon. "Ran-neechan. I can explain the dilemma." KID comes to as decision to cut in. "Ms. Ran, the blame is on me. I asked him to kiss me to get his phone back." Ran scrapes her skin. "Kissing? Conan... you kissed KID too?" KID thought Ran knew. He knew she didn't see that part at least. 

Conan's sickness blew away a short time before the kiss. Ran sits at the edge of the building. Conan slowly makes his way to her. "Get away Conan." Tears form in her eyes. "Get away." A mysterious hand snatches her off the building. Conan had no time to react when Ran hit the unforgiving, concrete, gray sidewalk. 

"RAN-NEECHAN!!!" A octave higher Conan's voice was. KID disguises himself as a regular teen. 

Ran's lifeless body was greeted by horrified pedestrians. "Someone call the police!" A lady shouts. Police cars arrive at the scene prior to the lady's shout. 

"Alright, everyone back!" A police officer ushers the civilians at a good distance. "Does anyone know this woman?" Conan and KID intervenes. "Me and my lovable brother has." KID hugs Conan. Conan, despite being uncomfortable, went along with what KID said. The police officer inspects the body. "Any clue on how she died?" Conan gulps at the question.

A car halts near the police car. A man in a black suit is discovers to be Takagi Wateru. Takagi gapes at the body. "Ran Mouri?" He takes rapid steps until he is an inch away from her nonliving body. "Conan... I..." The blood cascades onto the concrete ounce after ounce. "Take these boys in Takagi." Takagi takes Conan and KID to the police station for questioning. 

"You were the last two to see her alive right?" Conan felt guilty.

"Get away Conan." 

"Get away." 

"Get away Conan." 

"Get away." 

Echoes, it echoes. Her heart heavyhearted. It broke Conan. The pain written within thin lines bespoke Ran's feelings. "Call me Conan if any clues appear." Conan breaks his deliberation to rejoin reality. "Another case to solve Tantei-kun." Conan alongside KID returns to the scene. 

Thunder struck twice as the two return to only find out Ran's dead body is gone. "Ran-niichan...?" Conan is at square one. KID's brain told him to leave. "Tantei-kun," his heart told him to stay. "Uuuuuuh... Can I help? In any possible way?" Conan keeps his gaze on the bodiless crime scene. "The infamous jewel thief KID helping the good." Even KID disbelieves the words coming from the child detective. 

"Behind-the-scenes help. Tantei-kun, your shining visage is the reason I love heists. Heists are so boring without you! It is my fault she is dead. It's the least I can do." Conan rips his gaze from Ran. "Thanks." Conan mumbles. KID steps into the street. "Until next time my adorable Tantei-kun." KID vanishes as the car drove by. "Time to hurry and close this case." Off on the turbo engine skateboard he was. 

"A leaf must fall each day until the tree looses its purpose. Understand Haibara?" 

"Completely. Is Conan aware?" 

"The later the better. He is the child detective Conan Edogawa." 

"The reason?" 

"Conan has lied through the teeth. Change the game or else he solves the puzzle." 

"Yes Ran." 

The unknown is anonymous. Conceal the truth to death. Death can lead to truth. A woman in gold. The light against darkness. Spewing scarlet ounce by scarlet ounce. Remorse is behind her. Distort the warmness of heart. Wrench it in sadness. Wrench it in deplore. 

"Vision a new Ran. A Ran to not expect Conan." Divide good by bad. Find that bad overtops good. "Dreams smashed." Bad is unequal to good. Love is unequal to unrequited love. 

Magic sparks the day twinkles. Something under one sleeve. Something up the other. Doves broadcast across clouds. Cards locked and loaded. "A beautiful night. A beautiful heist." KID swoops in, gracefully got through the security lasers and flew out the jewelry store. Cops shoot blazing bullets all around. "Tantei-kun must be fixated on Ran." A bullet strikes KID's skin. KID plummets to the ground. "Ow~" KID pushes himself against a wall. Cops run right by him. 'Typical cops. No wonder I'm on the loose still.' Something grabs KID, sliding him in a dark corner. 

"A fan I presume?" KID impales pressure on the shoulder wound. "Highly unlikely KID." KID brightens. "Tantei-kun. I had no idea you cared."  
"Making assumptions are we now KID?" Conan notices blood on KID's shoulder. "Shot?" KID snickers. "Yeah. But I had worse done to me." He rises to his feet. "A wound never stops KID from continuing his heist!" In a flash of smoke, KID was gone. "Worse?" Conan shook the question to the side. "He got the jewel." Conan races after him. 

The two ended up on a moving train. "Dance!" KID shoots cards at Conan. The child detective contrives to dodge the sharp cards. "Hand over the sea blue gem!" A helicopter hovers over them. "KID! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THEFT!!!" Yusaku Kudo. Conan, aka Shinichi Kudo's father whom he has not seen in ten years. "You got to catch me first!" In a puff of smoke, KID had vanished again. 

"Yusaku Kudo. I have heard some things about you!" The helicopter lowers inches away from touching the train, which halted seconds ago. Conan hops on. "Alright! Let's go! We have a thief to capture!" The helicopter rises to the skies. Followed by other helicopters. 'If he knew who I really was, he'd corrupt or start drinking again.' 

Conan happily greeted Mr. Kudo in his Conan voice. "Very nice to meet you!" A quick grin spreads on Conan's face. "Ah, nice to meet you too Conan-kun." The way he said his name made Conan uncomfortable. "Have any evidence, clues, or witnesses on Ms. Mouri's dead body?" Conan came at a dead end. "Not yet." Mr. Kudo fondles his back. "A case is never solved in a day." Mr. Kudo leaves to his new office. 

Conan shudders. Did anything happen to Mr. Kudo? The one raising him until the age of six? "Conan?" Conan turns to see Takegi. "The new guy is strange." Conan watches Mr. Kudo unpack. "Yes he is." 

Miles and miles away beheld a party at the Mouri residence. I Ran's room, quiet chokes the atmosphere. 

"Ran, a man by the name Yusaku Kudo is in the case of your death and the disappearance of your body. I decided to search who he was. He is a widely known detective whom cracked every case he had!" Ran applies lipstick on her lips. "And? A detective is a detective. This is one case he is not gonna crack." Haibara twinkles a worried look. 

"Haibara. Being worried is not an option now. I can handle this. We can handle this." Haibara releases a breath she had no idea she held in. "Okay. The next step?"  
"No next step. I wanna see how long this step will last."


	3. Touch a feeling, touch a mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter in the story. It did take some work to do so hope you like it!

Your intention is intercourse? The wedding vows. It meant nothing?" Tattered threads suits her discomfort. "Very likely it did." Bags carrying memories; the man soon escorts. "Farewell." A evanescent family breaks. Three deducts to two. 

Mornings take sadness while the nighttime strikes hunger. "Mommy I'm hungry." A shot hits her in the center of her heart. A shot filled in regret. "I know son. Food is just a hop away." Grasping truth can be as gasping for air. Difficult to even endeavor. 

A job lands in her palm. Every night the little boy prepares the nights he bears. Bedtime stories have long since ceased. A lullaby coverts into silence. Kisses changes to letters on the dresser. Sweet dreams become horrible nightmares. Walking to school seemed longer without a mother's touch. Dinner hums in a microwave. 

"I miss mommy being with daddy." Suffer as a boy would. Minus love, happiness, hugs, family. A door swishes open. "Mommy!" Foots move but they froze once the view becomes clear. "Mommy?" Twist of the left ankle, blue around the eyes, scratches upon cheeks, clothes were more gloomy than they normally were, swollen lips, eye liner smudged. "Hello sweetie pie." She topples to the floor. "Mommy!" The boy rushes to her side. "Mommy!" No response. "Mommy please don't die!" Not even breath of air came through her mouth. 

Light. A fluorescent white light. Under the light lies a motionless woman fights a losing battle to death itself. 

The boy watches his mother behind glass. "She'll be okay son." His father found out she was in the hospital a short hour ago. The love was lost but he still cared for her. "Mommy." He whispers as if she could hear his soft voice. "I will find who did it." The father merely scoffs. 'Such a determined young boy. Determined for the incorrect reasons.' He observes his now ex wife. He rips his eyes from her. 

"Your mother will be discharged in no time Shinichi."

Year after year. Visit after visit. Tear after sorrowing tear. His mother never awoke. A breathing machine is assisting her. The only object keeping her alive. Shinichi, well Conan thanks to Haibara, secretly visits her on most occasions. 

Until the day the doctors pull the plug. Conan discovers the day his father shown his face again that he told the doctors to pull the plug. It hit an angry nerve in Conan's body. How could he? Such a selfish idiot he is! He would rather see her fall inside a unknown abyss then let her breathe another day. Conan had a feeling she could awake soon. His own father ruined the most happiest day he could have ever had. 

And he hated him for that. 

Before being transformed into Conan, he discovers not only the people who put her in the hospital in the first place, he discovers also that the men involved killed themselves shortly after beating his mother. "So Conan. A girl named Ran Mouri falls about thirty stories. She dies on impact. Hmm... could she have committed suicide?" His father must be screwing with women too much. "Impossible! She is not that sort of person. I personally should know." A hearty chuckle lightens the mood. Mr. Kudo's mood anyways. 

"Somebody likes her!" He elbows Conan. "Care fath— Mr. Kudo." Conan hopes Mr. Kudo isn't going to ask what he was bound to say. "Fair enough." He lights a cigar. "So," he blows a puff of smoke, "any clues to find who done it?"  
"Not yet."  
"The great detective Conan has to have one clue in his pocket!"  
"A case like this? With no prior witnesses except me and..." Mr. Kudo's cigar almost slips. "You saw her fall? And you were reluctant to catch her?" A boy his size lift a person like her? "No. Reason one: If I tried to, she would have slipped from my grip. Two: the chances of getting to her were slim." Mr. Kudo clenches the cigar in his fingers. "Conan you cannot be on the case." Conan raises a eyebrow. "How come?"  
"A six year old kid? Letting himself be involved in a possible suicide case? Can a child like you even be a detective?" The questions are unbelievable to Conan. 

"I, detective Conan, have done cases for a while. I have seen gruesome."  
"All the kid detective is gonna see is bed. I called Takegi. He can take you home." A horn blasts outside. "Speaking of Takegi," Mr. Kudo ushers Conan to the doors. "I can solve a case without any help from you." Conan's teeth grinds together. "Such an uncaring father who thinks he needs no assistance." Mr. Kudo turns his attention to a girl walking in. Her shoulders brushes against his. "Hmmm." He shoves Conan out the door. 

The car ride persists in silence. The only sounds made was cars passing by and the low volumed radio. "Sorry." Takegi manages to say after the half an hour of silence. "I should have told you sooner. Shocking a man like Yusaku Kudo returns ten years later, or maybe eleven, takes control and kicks anyone useless to him off the case." Conan fumes on the inside. He rather not show how angry he is towards the man who left him and his mother to fend for themselves. Conan casts a long look at the full moon. A dark silhouette soars past it. "KID." Takegi glances at Conan. "Where?" Conan points to the skies. "Heading southwest." Takegi hits the brakes. The car turns hard in the southwest direction. 

In the unbeknownst parts in Japan... secrets drown but it stays in the abyss. Lies bespoke hidden truths. "Should Ran be dead?" Some know the lies sunken underwater. "Shhh. Mr. Kudo to tell the truth, yeah. In a way." Believing can be seeing. "Ms. Haibara where is the explanation for why Conan is not aware of this?" Idiocy grips idiocy as hand grips the throat. "Tell me why Conan is kicked aside from the case?" Questions deserve answers. "He's a little kid! A six year old kid!" Everything can be clearer in the naked eye. "Hah! Must be an unintelligible person to swallow an untruthful fact." Haibara piece by piece helps him with the puzzle. 

Stuck in confusion on the words she says. "Do you mean...?" Possible thoughts strikes the mind electrically. But she struck first. "Yeah. The little boy is actually your son. YOUR SON. Conan, because of me, has the APTX 49 poison in him." He denies it. "It cannot be. My son is currently seventeen. I think." The trust between Conan and Haibara broke. "The hair. The distinctive black hair. A piece sticks up in the back. Nobody across Japan has his distinctive hair. The blue, crystal clear eyes. Conan is actually Shinchi Kudo!" Finally the last piece is connected. "So he is? I must find him and get the truth from him. Just to be safe." Haibara grabs his arm. "He likes the infamous KID. The phantom thief. The son of the previous thief you had fought long ago." The touch turns cold as she retracts her hand. 

"Ah. I see." Footsteps gradually melts until peace is met. "Ran. I told him. Some stuff you never thought you would learn about Conan." Heels click. "Yeah. So I guess we observe the situation quietly."  
"Agreed." 

A set of shoes tap along the stairs while another smaller set is close on his heels. "Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" Playing games is one of KID's best abilities. "Stop joking around KID!" The night sky bursts into full view as the metal door slams open. "Guess your friend needs to run more." The card gun spins through his index finger. Conan disapproves of admitting it but he was right. "The jewel. Give me the jewel KID." A brighter side of KID lightens. "Tantei-kun. I may have found a witness!" The jewel is completely forgotten. "Please tell me you are right."  
"I am! How can you doubt me?! I saw a lady running from the scene the exact day it all went down. I saw her again earlier today in a gun store. Freaky huh?" Conan's ponders in his thinking pose. "Such a cute thinking pose Tantei-kun." KID murmurs to himself. 

"We have a low chance of her showing herself again at the same store." KID tosses the jewel and it vanishes. "Let's try those chances. We may get lucky." He retrieves the jewel from behind his ear, chuckling. 

School flew by as Conan raced home. Dropping his bags, he raced right back out to meet up with KID. "Nice to see you too Conan." Haibara says sarcastically. "Now's your chance to talk to him." Mr. Kudo goes incognito, following him slowly like a predator hunting for meat. But this predator was searching for answers. Not meat. 

"Tantei-kun! You came!" KID appears as a regular person dressed in casual clothing. "Where is the gun store?" KID points over his head. "We are standing right in front of the place." They walk inside the weapons store. 

Heavy guns and light guns hang across the wall. Expensive guns to cheap guns lays also in solid glass. "See her?" Conan whispers to KID. "No." A lady in a navy blue dress with dark brown hair catches KID's eye. "Yes. Right over there. She seems to be buying a gun." The lady purchases her new gun and leaves. "Let's go." Conan and KID departs from the gun store. 

'Gullible boys these days.' The lady speeds her pace. Conan and KID speed their pace. The lady then ran like a marathon runner. "Wow that lady can run!!!" KID wipes his forehead. The chase leads to a dead end shortly after it starts. 

"Any words before I turn you into the police?" Conan takes his Conan phone out. "Certainly Conan." Conan stood, pupils dilated. "How do you...?"  
"Conan forgot about me. How sad." The lady removes the hat and glasses. "Haibara?!" Is Haibara loosing her mind? "And a friend." She removes the long coat. Revealing Yusaku Kudo. "Go KID." Conan said harshly. KID understood and vanishes in thin air. "Bye Tantei-kun." KID's words whisper in Conan's ear. "Now that you let a criminal get away, let me start the conversation." Haibara hops from Kudo's shoulders. Landing perfectly. "Come now. Just how long were you gonna keep it up? Nobody is stupid." Conan gazes at her in betrayal. "I thought I could trust you Haibara. I thought—"  
"YOU THOUGHT?!?!" Haibara's raising tone tightens in anger. "WE CANNOT HIDE THE TRUTH FOREVER CONAN!!!!" Mr. Kudo steps Haibara back. He never said he wanted to engross anyone to call the police. "I know you are my son Shinichi." He reaches out but Conan but Conan smacks his arms to the side. "No. My father would have taken care of me. My father would not have left. My father would have stuck through pain and happiness in life. MY FATHER WOULD HAVE LOVED MY MOTHER!!!"  
"The love was lost."  
"Then do not marry someone if at some point you leave her." The alley drowns in silence. Conan slowly treads back to the way he came. "Shinichi do you actually like KID?!" For every question, is a answer invariably. 

Conan halts. "You have no right to call me Shinichi. My real father is gone." It just may not be the answer. Conan continues to tread until he is seen no more.

Haibara grits her teeth. "Ugh! Such a waste talking to him!" She waves. "Forget it. Let's go." Haibara walks off. Kudo not far behind her. 'Your mother would have been in me if she saw me now." She sees him. Up above the endless clouds of the sky. 

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta recognize that Conan is not quite himself. Three days had gone since Conan talked to them. When the three say hi or hello to him, he says nothing. He just gives them a deadpan look. "We should talk to Conan." Mitsuhiko announces. He goes to Conan first. "Hey Conan." Conan's visage brightens. "Hello Mitsuhiko! Lovely day today!" His voice worries Mitsuhiko. He knew Conan moreover he knew Conan's happiness and Conan's unhappiness. And Conan is currently faking happiness. "Is there something wrong Conan?" All attempts at being happy fell apart. "Yeah. I cannot tell you though." Mitsuhiko, the other two, along with others still have yet known Conan's true identity. 

Mitsuhiko pats Conan on the back. "I understand. I am just happy you told me." The lunch bell rings. "Ooooh lunch!!!" Genta shouts, stampeding out the door to the cafeteria. 

Ayumi elbows Mitsuhiko. "Well? Is he okay?"  
"Yeah it's just—"  
"Haibara!" Ayumi hops up and down. Mitsuhiko sighs. 'Never mind. No point in telling her anything dealing with Conan.' Mitsuhiko begins eating. He then notices Conan gave Haibara a enraged glare when she was talking to Ayumi and Genta. "Something she did?" Mitsuhiko needs a brief conversation with Haibara regarding Conan. Mitsuhiko cares too much for Conan to see him enraged and unhappy. 

"I apologize for intervening but I need to have a words with you Haibara." He and Haibara excuse themselves from the table. Ayumi pursues thereafter. Genta stays behind to eat their untouched lunch. Conan, curious as he is, pursues too. Knowing the subject they were going to touch upon. 

The blood. Oh how cold it felt. A slit goes crosswise into the neck. Gaggin blood dresses the floor in red. Oh how marvelous the blood was. A stab in the chest. A stab in the head. The body gives up. Blood cascades in all directions. Like a crowd of people running away from their worst nightmares. Ounces upon ounces left the body. It just did not stop at all. "A girl shall beg her knees to no one. For no one." Laughing bounce off the walls. "Stupid idiot." A heel stomps on the face of the body. "Your son is no longer your problem. Yusuke. Because me, Ran Mouri, has no intention of killing him yet."


	4. Death cannot call my name

"Haibara. Have you done anything to Conan?" The hallway is empty due to lunch. Mitsuhiko had time to speak to her before students came from lunch. "No. Not a thing. Can we go now?" Haibara scans the hallways. 'Conan is here listening.' She scrapes her shoes on the floor. "Conan gave you a look. By the expression, something is entirely wrong." Read her like a book. "And...? I said some things. So what?"  
"Real friends are supposed to keep secrets." Haibara sneers. "Conan is NOT my friend. I am the reason he lives in the Mouri household." A thump is heard. "Ayumi?" Haibara is thanked by Ayumi's presence. "Sorry." Her innocent smile curves her lips. "Forget it. It can be pointless conversing." Mitsuhiko leaves first. 

"Your smile. It is beautiful Ayumi." She giggles and a hint of pink splashes on her cheeks. "Thanks!"  
'A smile I can take at highest advantage.' 

Conan departs back to lunch. His Conan phone buzzes. "Hey Conan, it is Takegi. I have bad news. Come when school is over." The line goes dead. Rarely any good news anymore. The bad news pile up higher than mountains. Good news arrives within the year. Now? Every three or four years of a person's life. 

Black. The color surrounding darkness. Death it brung. Many lives are taken away in the blackness. It blinds the sun and stars guiding your way. Black is on suits and dresses.  
"Yusaku Kudo." Juzo Megure starts. "An honorable man as I seen in a short two days. We shall today take in the atmosphere. Sadness overwhelms me when I found out this horrible tragedy. Whomever done this shall pay for his or her wrongdoing. They will! Now let us end the chatter while his body is put in the ground." The coffin slowly and steadily is put into the ground. Eyes reject from looking anywhere else but the coffin. "Poor man." Ayumi dries her tears with a napkin. 'May the devil be with him.' Haibara quietly scoffs. "I dislike crying to a man whose done my family wrong."  
"What you say Conan?"  
"Nothing Heiji." He stops adding the san, kun, and all else behind everyone's name. 

The funeral ended shortly after. 

The news aired all day about Yusaku Kudo's death. Words like "A wonderful man!" Or "I remember when he solved this case..." And especially, "He is the best detective ever. His kids would be so proud having a father like him!" 

Sadly the last sentence was mislead. Conan should know. He IS Kudo's only child. During his first seven years, he got tons of presents for the holidays, and birthdays. Happiness came crashing down once he turns seven. The exact day of the divorce. Presents no longer came. Death threats mailed to his mother from his father came. Wishing her to rot. To drown in the ocean. Get shot by a intoxicated prostitute. Given the death penalty. Splatter her deceiving blood above so everyone can see. 

Alas, the opportunity never came. He died and both bodies lie next to one another. Conan understood happiness. Happiness and sadness. They cannot live separately. However death had no affect on Conan. Yes it had hurt him when his own mother passed away. But death is like a bullet train. It stops when a person reaches their final destination. 

"Ran. Killing?! Seriously?! The man deserves a slap in the face! Not a knife across his throat!" Eleven o'clock at night. "He wanted me to beg for intercourse! Ewwwwww! So gross!" Streets roared with horns honking. "Ran, this you is different than the old you. Killing? Woah. Intercourse for money? A difference Ran." Shouts became squeals in the distance. "A heist." Ran runs to the sounds of squealing girls. "I pity KID." Haibara runs also so then she could not be stampeded by other obnoxiously squealing girls behind her. 

The infamous KID flies past the moon. The crowd roars in excitement. "Hello my fellow people." The jewel clutched in palms. "KID! YOU THIEF!!!!" Takegi bellows over the crowd. "HAND US THE DIAMOND!!!" A sly smile forms. "Catch." He releases the diamond. "Heiji the diamond!" It shatters. KID vanishes in a puff of smoke. "Dang it." Heiji' eyes dart in all directions. "Takegi! We need more officers! KID has to be found." The people watch the skies. Wondering where KID had gone. 

"Phew. So glad the diamond's fake." Echoing footsteps causes KID to smirk widely. "Tantei-kun."  
"KID."  
"Smart little detective work. Adorably cute and intellectual." A card gun slides from his pocket. "Is your dodging skills good?" Conan raises a brow in question. Sharp edged cards flew at Conan. He leaps and rolls avoiding the cards. "Ooooh! Dance some more!" Cards shoot at will, eights, sevens, queens, aces. It corners Conan at the edge. Kaitou grips Conan's throat. Lowering his head over the fifty story building. Hundreds of citizens watch the situation go down. A person Conan never suspects catches his eye. "Ran-neechan?" Kaitou removes his hands. "Mouri Ran?" He looks over also. 

Navy blue dress. Glittering gold earrings. Hair curled like a princess in a castle. Arguing about something towards Haibara. "RAN-NEECHAN!!!" Conan calls out. From fifty stories, their eyes met. Ran pushes her way through the crowd. Conan rolls off the edge. Engaging the hang glider. KID follows. The crowd moves as the chase moves. "Ran-neechan. She is alive? How? Why? What?" Questions flood. KID manages to catch her in a dead end. 

"Ran! Nice to drop in in such a short notice." Doves fly out from KID's sleeves. "Shush yourself!" Haibara breathlessly shows her face. "We are... all... here." Haibara grabs her knees. Conan slowly reaches to Ran. "Alive?" Conan is only able to mutter. "Your body. Lifeless. Dead. Unconscious forever." Haibara retracts from saying a word. "Nothing you saw was real Conan." Conan lowers eye contact. 'I thought it was Conan-kun.' Ran huffs loudly. "You wanna know?" KID gets defensive. 

"Of course he does! He wants to understand the predicament that is happening right now! He had been searching endlessly for who killed you and where your body had gone. Every single heist, his mind was elsewhere. Wondering if someone had taken your lifeless body. He cares so much for you but you could care less if he died! I WATCH YOUR DISGUSTING SELF SCREW OTHER GUYS!!! IT PAINS ME SEEING MY TANTEI-KUN SLEEP OUTSIDE LIKE SOME ANIMAL!!! I THOUGHT... Ran. The shell of your former self cracked and fell into pieces. Creating a new you. A horrible one." Ran walks up and presses a finger on his suit. 

"Listen here Kaito KID. Everything happening with me, Conan, and Haibara is absolutely none concern of yours. Take him away. I do not care about him anymore." Sadness pierces Conan straight where it hurt most: the heart. "Ran-neechan." Silent anger builds in Ran. "Stop adding the neechan." It simmers. Haibara and Ran exits the alley. KID purely stares at Conan. Tears never pour from Conan's eyes. He snatches his turbo engine skateboard out, hopping on, and is down the street in nanoseconds. "Tantei-kun." KID speeds up on his turbo engine skates. 

Cloudy thoughts rage in a night storm. Feelings saddened beyond repair. Pound one thought as another pound to fight. The pain occurring today so unbelievable being true. Show yourself sadness and all your blistering agony. Love is lashed by storms. Whips crackle in all its laughter. He got nothing nice in return. 

Towering darkness fell upon him. Is he world pitch black? Has it ended? "Shinichi." A feminine vice calls out. "Shinichi." He hears his name again. "Mom?" A white ghostly figure appears before him. "Shinichi." A warm touch caresses his cheeks. "Mom..." He held onto the touch. "I miss you." Tears broke the dam. "I miss you too." Blood gushes from her eyes. "MOM!!!" He tries to reach but is being held back. "Hush Shinichi. Daddy is here." The vision becomes a screaming blur. "Conan! wake up please!!! Conan!!!" The darkness shakes into a shining light. 

Conan whips his head around. "Hospital." Did a event occur for him to end up here? "The doctors managed to repair your broken legs." Broken legs he said? "The impact the car had on you knocked you unconscious. Luckily the car damaged your legs and not your face." Indeed he was fortunate. "Takegi. How long has it been?" Another body walks in. 

"It has been three days." Mitsuhiko must have heard behind the door. "Three days...?" It felt like it was three minutes ago. "We overheard from the doctor that a man called the police station and left you wrapped up in a white shirt." KID. "The very one over there." Mitsuhiko points to the folded shirt. "I see." A warm feeling overwhelms him. 

'Three days ago he said I was his Tantei-kun.' He stares out the open window. Winds blow in a rhythmic motion. Swaying the trees back and forth. The moon lit the skies, standing in glorious composure. Stars sprinkling the skies in a beautiful light show. "Is Haibara involved?" Mitsuhiko says in monotone. "Yes. Her and Ran..." Mitsuhiko and Takegi almost choked on air. "Ran?! No way but how...!" Conan wished he understood it himself. "She never said." Conan fought back tears. "Somehow she survived." Death is just a obstacle Ran seems to dodge. "It could have been a setup." Mitsuhiko rises from the chair he sat in. "I will explain more tomorrow. We have to go. The visiting time is close to being over." The boys wave goodbye to Conan before the door closes shut. 

"Conan." The lights go off. "Too long I have awaited an opportunity similar to this." A rather large hand brushes Conan's cheek. "Why don't we take care of you Tantei-kun." Conan s disgusted by the way the man said the name. "Irish. I thought I dealt with you a while back." Conan could feel Irish's smile forming. "Guess not." A cloth covers his mouth. He tries punching Irish, causing two more hands to grab his wrists. "Sad a detective is caught so easily." Vermouth. Conan needed not a decipher to figure that out. 

Multiple bangs of fists pound at the door. "Conan! Conan!" Mitsuhiko and Takegi calls. Irish smirks in joy. "Vermouth, Korn, we have to deal with Conan somewhere else." Vermouth knocks Conan unconscious. Haibara somehow had a position in this situation. 

Conan wakes up in a deserted house miles from the hospital. "Huh?" He rises only to be held back by metal shackles around the neck, wrists, and ankles. Sitting in only his underclothes. "Ah. You have awoken." Irish pets Conan. "Ready for your treat?" Conan spits straight in Irish's face. In an instant, Irish grips Conan's throat tightly. "Idiotic child." A nozzle of a gun points at Conan's chest. Tempting to just end the poor child's life there. Timing is key. "Beg." Bring all effort to not kill. "Never." Trenches under trenches, believe nothing to be found. "Suit yourself." He rises from his knees. A black line appears in Irish's palm. "Torture." The long black line is none other than a whip. He whips Conan on the arms. Conan merely twinges in pain. "Strong-willed purely lacking weakness. It will change soon. We have all the time in the world." Vermouth and Korn walks in. Both carrying whips. 

A week gone. KID had schoolwork so he could not visit. Nor do any heists. Today's the best day to visit Conan. Incognito of course. To be thoughtful, KID bought a necklace. With actual money he earned. "Time to go Kuroba." Breeze welcomes him as he steps out the door. "Beautiful day it is." He happily walks by many people waving to him before he ends up at the hospital a short fourty-five minutes later. 

The nurse at the front desk types uninterruptedly. "Hello madame. May I see Conan Edogawa? I am his brother." A worried look strikes her. "Sorry sir, but Conan Edogawa has gone missing. Police are trying to search now."  
"Missing? How?" The lady shrugs her shoulders. "Possibly kidnapped sir. The cameras caught nothing suspicious transpiring." KID notice Takegi and Mitsuhiko talking to policeman. 'They must know too.' KID slides past the woman who chuckled at the last moment. 'Crazy lady. Going nuts.' He taps Takegi's head. "Hello. And you are?"  
"A friend of Conan's. What happened to Conan?" He was more used to saying Tantei-kun but if he did say it, suspicion may rise. 

"Unsure. I overheard a male's voice though. Asked the workers who work here to check the cameras and found nothing."  
"Is there any cameras outside of this hospital or in the rooms?" Realization. "No." The trail of truth begins. "The windows. That's how they got in." Mitsuhiko adds. "It makes sense." Mitsuhiko enters the room Conan was in hours ago. "Blood!" He grabs Takegi from the hall. "Blood!? Conan's blood?!"  
"Perhaps. Right now it is best for someone to analyze the blood to see who's it is." Takegi and Mitsuhiko departs from the room. Letting the DNA analyst retrieve the blood. 

"Had enough Conan?" Red spills down Conan's body. "Have I had enough Irish?" Irish keeps smiling anyways. 'A further push will make him crack.' Irish whips Conan once more. Conan bites his tongue. They have no right to hear the child detective scream. "Pointless." Vermouth mutters. "Whips? Please. There are many ways to torture him." A metal mallet appears. "You must want the detective dead." Irish still kept the smile perfectly. It made Korn wonder why Irish kept smiling. Does he have worse in mind? Korn decides against asking. 

"That KID sure has an eye on you." Conan's eye faintly twitches. Vermouth struck the right nerve. She can change her voice to sound like anybody. Besides, Conan probably would love hearing KID's voice. But not after what she is going to say. "I love my sweet Tantei-kun! He is so cute and adorable!" She imitates KID's voice flawlessly. "But he is gonna eventually find out that I, Kaito KID, is straight and likes girls!" Conan's eye twitches this time. 

Irish and Korn watches Vermouth work her skills. Torture? Vermouth understood the exact definition. "Ahh~ getting married and having kids will be a breakthrough! Can't have kids with a guy! A small boy at that!" Conan tries reaching out to Vermouth, failing a hundred percent. He hated it. 'Shut up.'  
"Maybe a baby girl..."  
'Shut up...'  
"With a big, gigantic bow on her cute face..."  
'Stop it...'  
"Her mother and I mean her mother will be proud—"  
"SHUT UP!!!!" Conan bursts. "If you want, kill me. Being dead is better than hearing this." Fierceness boils into Conan's words. 

Vermouth licks her lips. "Your mother was a fighter. Just like you Edogawa. Too bad she is dead. Such a face she made when I planted the bullet in her forehead." It was... them? Who beat her to near death? "It sorta surprised me when she managed to escape with a bullet in her head." Cruel, heartless, sadistic, vicious. So they were a female and two males. Not entirely men. 

A nail pierces through Conan's skin. Straight inside his shoulder. "Burn in..." A nail pierces the other shoulder. Conan bites back a yell. "Burn forever." A nail is lodged in his legs. Larger ones. The inside wanted to cry for eternity. The outside told a unalike matter. 

"Karma hurts." Vermouth slams a nail in the amidst of the child detective's chest. The sharp throes of pain escalates. "I know. Masochist right? Well we are." Vermouth cackles as Conan twists, pain absorbing in every corner of his body. "Weak. You, Vermouth, and Korn. Just... weak." Korn punches Conan in the face. "Stupid kid." Punches fly at him. Dodging at this point would be useless. 

'It will all be over soon.' Conan thought. 

The analyst checks the blood and a sample of Conan's blood found on the pilows and it was not a match. So then a trail goes cold. Tested all possible people. Young, old, black hair, gray hair. KID leaves the hospital enraged. "Such an idiot. Everything started because of me." He kicks a bench. "Ow!" A metal bench. "Ugh. Someone took him. Someone knows who took him." Ran? Haibara? Those two were not tested. "Could it...!" KID is miles away from the hospital in seconds. Mouri residence. 

Haibara slumps on the couch. Should she care about Conan's disappearance? No. Betrayal already set in. "Gotta be kidding me right now." Too many times flipping channels. A knock answers her prayers. She opens the door silently. "Hello?" Her eyes met KID's. "Kuroba Kaitou. The infamous Kaito KID." Arrives at the Mouri residence and she knows his real name beforehand. "Haibara Ai. The reason Tantei-kun looks like a six year-old child. APTX 49 I presume? A poison now inside you and Tantei-kun." The sentence Haibara almost says dies in her throat. "I need a blood sample." Haibara slams the door shut. 

"Typical Haibara. Scared of giving up blood? Afraid that Haibara Ai, the girl whom I am speaking to now, let men she knew kidnap him?" Quickly, the door opens wide. "Let me get some shoes." The door closes. 

Impatience runs through KID's veins as a half an hour passes. "It cannot take thirty minutes finding one paie of shoes." KID tears the door open. "Haibara!" The room fills in silence. Dashes upstairs to discover a unlocked window. "Crap." A white dove appears. "The perfect dove I was looking for. Be a dear and find out where Haibara is." The bird flutters its wings and flew outside. 

"Ai Haibara. Ran Mouri. Both committed murder. Both have connections with other criminals." Cannot stop a train. Cannot accept the lies. 

Conan reaches the limit. Tears ached to stream. Countless ounces of blood pours out. Twenty ounces? Fifty ounces? One hundred ounces? Time discontinues counting. "Had enough?" Vermouth learned long ago Conan is a person who never gives up. "Physically, yes. Mentally, no." The smart remark gets him a gun pointed between the eyes. "Smith and Wesson. A firearm. But I am pretty sure you knew that." She subtly sneers. "Ready?" A shot is heard. "Huh? What?!" Vermouth rotates her body quickly. "Chianti...?" A merciless woman of no remorse. "And?" She kicks Irish's dead body. "Murders? And I had no part in it? Its ceasing now." Conan tookthe given chance and fled. "HEY!" Korn shouts. Chianti raises her hand. "Let him go. He will be useful. Alive that is." Chianti glares at Vermouth. "Whatever." Irish's dead body is left in the deserted house. 

Endless trees left and right. "Ten... miles." Trees stood over thirty feet tall. "Ten miles... and... one... foot. Heart thumps loud. Beating out of his chest. "Ten... miles..." Breathing slows. "Ten..." Darkness devours entirely. 

"I love you mommy!" 

"I love you too." 

"Does daddy love me?" 

"Until the end of time." 

"I love my mommy and daddy!" 

"But son?" 

"Hmm?" 

"We are dead." 

Conan jolts upward. Heavily breathing, he checks his surroundings. "Hello Mr. Edogawa." A man in a white coat writes on a clipboard. "Relax Mr. Edogawa. You're in the hospital. No institution." Two individuals, one short and one tall, walks in. The two individuals being Takegi Wateru and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya. "Conan!" The say in unison. "Can someone explain how I got here?"  
"Haibara. She found you while she was in the forest searching for an 'earring' she claims was lost." Mitsuhiko sits in a padded chair. "I though she would leave you for dead. Either she was forced or high." Takegi adds. "Conan, I overheard KID's heists are back! He is gonna steal another prized jewel from a famous museum! Not exactly sure when though." Conan puts on his glasses. Which stunningly was unscathed. "When can I get discharged?"  
"The latest? Two weeks." Conan wishes he said: "Two days." 

Two nights in the hospital. A jewel thief on the loose. "KID. Why do you toy with me? Constantly calling me Tantei-kun, adorable, cute, all else. A lousy thief like KID tried flirting with me. Watching me everywhere I went when he had any viable chance." He hops from the bed, pain shocking every nerve. "I need a response KID." He slides the window open. Providentially, the hospital room he was in was on the first floor. Ten o'clock nighttime. 

"Oh my gosh~! It is so boring without Tantei-kun!" KID peeks to see if he has been followed. "Hope he's okay." A body smacks the ground. KID retrieves his card gun. "KID." He recognizes the voice. "Tantei-kun." He rushes to Conan's fallen body. "A little help." KID lifts Conan in his arms. "Weren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"  
"Weren't you supposed to be doing the heist?"  
"Touché. It is more important to be in a hospital. Also Takegi and the rest probably gave up on the heists by now." KID walks off the edifice. Holding Conan tightly, The hang glider cape spreads out. "Wondering why I call you adorable and all that?" Conan blinks. "Your visage says many things." A book decoded easily. "Well Tantei-kun. I like you. Not sure which like though." Winds blew strong. Helicopters faded into the night. 

'So he may like me.' Hospital became seen I full view. 

An object shot both KID and Conan. Their bodies fell thousands of feet. Two people caught them. "Finally." The woman reloads her dart gun. "Let's go."  
"Better be a good plan Chianti." She enters the black van. "It will. Especially having Ms. Haibara and Ran with us." 

Can death call my name? Or will it be knocking at the gates of hell?


	5. Not done just yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! This is not the only story I am writing! Again I apologize and enjoy!

Forever is endless years. A limitless line lasting many centuries. A fire water cannot put out. The universe is limitless having problems beyond human solutions. Try to solve it but it can lead a person to an edge. Or to the brink of tears. It boils the core. The consequences can lead to insanity. Death and agony. 

"Thanks Takegi for the ride home!" Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta shouts. "Your welcome." Conan's and Haibara's whereabouts worries him. A whole night of searching, finding nothing. The car revs up. The school becomes smaller the farther the car goes. "Is Haibara sick?" Takegi realizes Haibara is missing again. Ayumi finds a small lie. "No. She had a doctor's appointment." She smiles broadly. "Okay." He notices Genta's fidgeting in the rearview mirror. 

"Something wrong Genta?" Immediately, Genta disagrees. "No! I doubt that!" He forces a laugh. "Alright. If you say so." A secret Genta may be hiding? "You like Braised eel on rice right Genta?" A true smile forms. "Like it? I love it! The best food I ever had! The taste is..." Genta drools. "Heaven." Ayumi eyes Genta. She stays silent. "We should eat later Genta. You and me." Genta nods. "Definitely! Oooh I love braised eel on rice!!!" Ayumi literally had the slightest scowl. 

The world looks hazy. Blurry images heavily breathing on semiconscious bodies. "Testing my patience." Chianti never was the woman who wanted to wait. "Move it." Chianti aims her gun at the boys. "Such an impatient woman. They will awake." Gin was right. The child detective and the phantom thief slowly but surely awoke. 

"Oh my... Witch." KID began. "And I though I seen everything." Chianti growls. "Shut it before I kill you!" Chianti hollers. Conan, in a way, was amused by KID's criticism towards Chianti. "Anyways, we came here to kill you basically." Conan needed no evidence to know that. "We came due to two girls asked. We quickly inclined. They also made sure the police was busy."  
"With what?" Conan curiously asked. "A murder. A faked one." Chianti sneers. She understood Conan cared too much for Mouri Ran. Haibara Ai? Maybe. 

KID removes the monocle. The two were tied, chained by the waist. "Completely comprehensible as to why Tantei-kun is here, but why me then?" Chianti reveals a small picture. "See this?" KID inspects said picture. "My father?" Chianti probably got the picture from his mother for money. "Did anyone figure out the cause of your father's death?" Today Conan was learning more information regarding KID's past. "Location: Heart of Japan. Morning time..." 

Melodic chimes blew in the wind, echoes. "Again!" Trees colored green as it was spring. "Alright." A man shows a little boy, no older than five, a magic trick. The simple reappearing coin trick. The man closed both hands. The boy observed. Opened them back. Nothing in either hand. "Check your pockets." The boy followed the command. Taking a coin. Two coins. "Ah!" The boy clapped. "Awesome!" Sirens blasted loud. "Sorry. We may continue again." The caped man runs and flies. 

"Sir!" The boy stumbles upon a monocle. "Mister!" The boy bolts from the bench. Gun shots fired. The boy ducks. "Accomplice!" Those days it seemed anyone, any age, could be arrested. "Three men, after the boy, the rest with me to capture that thief!" The policeman, excluding three, left. "Mommy!" The boy refrained from going back. He boy's house was the opposite direction. 

The policeman cursed under their breaths. Helicopters searched infinitely. The police hated searching. They especially hated trying to search long hours for one person. A person striving to be a criminal all his life. Or the majority of it. A criminal is caught sooner or later. The police officers would be lucky of the thief surrendered. Just to make it their jobs easier. 

"One bad man on the loose is a innocent man in prison." A fact it may be. "In the sky!" Another policeman shouts. He was right. The ignorant thief stood tall at the edge of a towering structure. "Everyone to the top." The lead officer in command ordered. The men enter the building. 

Tiring is how the police officers put it. The edifice, rundown. The elevators did not work. The only option? The endless stairs. Some men gave in and stopped, thinking it is meaningless to go on. The thief bwas bound to escape anyways. The one man who turns out to be a detective, had some "words" to say to that idiotic thief. 

All the stairs came to a relieving halt. Finally at the top. "Ah, I have awaited for you... Yusaku." He swirled around. "Mongrel." The words seethed tremendously. "Oh I'm offended." He grasps his breast pocket. Yusuke takes a gun out. "Raise them." A few more officers show. "Alright." He raises in surrender. "May I say my last words?" Yusaku grumbled but allowed him. "One word: poof." And poof he did. 

Yusaku stood, dumbfounded. 'He is a magical thief.' Guess it never occurred to him that he is a magical thief. "Well then." Is all Yusuke said before he left down the stairs. "Do we continue searching?" Yusaku waves in dismissal. "No. We will continue another day." The men entered their cars. Multiple cars drove down the highway. "Think you are slick you thief?" Hard turn right. "You are not." Dodge a oncoming car. 

"I can and will put you behind bars." 

Night stars glowed the sky. A enchanting masterpiece mixing the stars and the dark nearly pitch black sky. Temperatures dropped astronomically. A chilling wind blew in through the boy's holes in his pants. Hours had gone by. A dog barks, scaring the boy. He ran at full speed. Parents must be worked for him. But, he had no parents. Being homeless means no parents to live him. He greatly enjoyed the man's company. The boy hardly smiled, so it was great someone made him smiled. Especially someone as nice as the man he met. 

Voice. A female. A young sounding woman. The voice became louder as the boy got closer. "Hmmm..." The boy watches the scene from a distance. "You or your son?" The voice said. Silence. "Choose." Clicking. The lady circled around the person. "Who is it?" The boy whispers. He tries getting closer. He gasps. The man he met earlier was encircled by four people. "Kill him. I am growing impatient." Three guns were held at the man's temple. "No." 

BANG! BANG! BANG! The boy saw him die. He saw it. The man, the only man, who made him smile. "NO!" Four heads arise. "Kill the witness." The woman commanded. Three bodies charged as bulls would when one sees a red cape. The boy runs. Runs. Runs. He turns his back for a quick moment. They were gone. "Huh?" The boy checks the surroundings. In a police station. "Oh." The boy leaves. "Now no one will car for me..." He lies on a bench nearby. "How much longer?" The boy asks himself. "How much longer?" 

"The story is a heartwarming one." Vermouth grips Conan's neck. "I heard Yusaku Kudo died a while ago. You knew him Edogawa?" Conan at first says nothing. "Yes. It is sad." Conan missed him none. The man left his life. Pulled the plug on his own mother. The woman dead made Conan unhappy. Depressed. Not to the point of killing, no. "Aww Conan's sad because a sorry man died." Vermouth taunters. Chianti pushes Vermouth. "I want to kill." Her patience wore thin. 

KID slips one palm from the chains. Vermouth, Vodka, Gin, and Chianti does not notice. "Pitiful." Chianti whacks KID. "I should kill you now." She points the nozzle of the gun on KID's chin. "If we were alone, you would be dead. Blood smeared on the disgusting ground." KID smirks. "So it is funny having your death wish?!" The gun is pressured on his neck. Tell me, is magic real?" Chianti scoffs. "Is magic real?! Such an idiotic question!" KID's smirk changes into a broad smile. "I heard a funny word. You wanna know it?" No rhetorical questions there. "Shut your mouth!" Gin intervenes. "Let us kill them!" A shining white light appears. The four shield their eyes. 

"Impossible it cannot be they—" the smoke clears. "Escaped." Vermouth finishes Gin's sentence. "Ugh! Idiots!" Chianti flees to search. One way or another, the child detective and the phantom thief had to die. The last strike. KID's father disappeared. Where is he? Dead. His son is next. Then the overly intellectual detective. The last rose petal is holding on. Tear it. Burn it. Boil it in acid. In pieces it shall rest. 

Ayumi and Mitsuhiko gets dropped off by their houses. Just Takegi and Genta. The greatest time to get some unanswered questions answered. "So Genta, do you like braised eel over rice or love braised eel over rice?" Takegi glances at Genta through the rearview mirror. The question drifts Genta's worries away. "I love braised eel over rice! It is heaven in my mouth. The taste dances on my tongue in a rhythmic melody. I slowly chew to savor it." His stomach grumbles. "I wish I could eat some." An idea strikes Takegi. "I will take you to eat. Is it okay?" Genta jumps excitedly. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! PLEASE!!!"  
"I may know a perfect place." 

And a perfect place it was. Chandeliers dangled over the tables, spotless floors, waiters and waitresses dressed neatly, a welcoming smile across their visages, the aromas of foods no one can find anywhere else in this five star restaurant. "Heaven at last." He lets out a sigh girls would normally have seeing the boy of their dreams. Takegi took his seat. Genta took in the scenery. He mentally took a picture to save. 

"May I take your order?" The waitress asks. "Braised deliver rice please. Genta takes no time to answer. "Anything for you sir?"  
"No thank you." The lady bows and leaves. "Genta?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Is Ayumi bothering you?" Genta freezes. "Nooooooo." He avoids Takegi's gaze. "Really? I saw while in the car that you were fidgeting. Right at the moment she looked at you." Genta begins sweating. 'Oh no. This is really bad.' Genta hold up the menu. "Genta." Takegi lowers the menu with a finger. "Hiding something?"  
"I said no!" The lady comes back to the table. 

"Your food." The lady sits the bowl on the table. Genta eats; the waitress stays put. She winked at Takegi. He returns the wink. "You like anyone in particular?" The waitress queried. He choked on his food. He swallows slowly. "Umm y-eah I d-do. Not really sure if he likes me though." So it is a he? "Who?" Genta stuffs his mouth, refusing to answer. "It's fine. Is Ayumi hiding something?" The waitress changes subject. "How...!?" The waitress removes her stylish black hat. "Sonoko!?" Genta gulps . "Crud." He admits defeat. Two against one and you are done.

Genta fell into the trap. Takegi's trap. Genta runs, only to be stopped by Sonoko. "Hold it Genta." Her voice held gentleness. Genta listened. "The truth needs to be told." Genta thinks lying is the best way out, but them actually believing it? The casualty of lying is a merciless beating from Mrs. Tojima herself. Genta can hear his own screams now. 'No lying Genta! No lying!' He goes back, seating himself in front of Takegi.

"Where is Haibara?" Sonoko takes her seat. "Well Sonoko, Haibara had other plans." Sonoko is at piqued interest. "Plans? Exactly what plans!"  
"Plans to... plans to..." The words kept dying in his throat. "Torture." Genta finally says. Sonoko raises eyebrows. "Torture? Haibara?" Is Genta lying? "Yes. She and another individual planned on torturing Conan and the phantoms thief." Takegi interests also piques. "What individual?" Genta coughs. "Mouri Ran." Sonoko slams her hands on the table, not caring who heard. 

"Isn't she dead?" Sonoko lost feeling in her arms. She weakened. The fire died in her. "No. It was a setup. The death was faked." Takegi denies wholeheartedly. "I seen her dead body. The death being fake is highly doubtful." Genta stuffs himself with the remaining food. Swallowing said food, Genta continues. "The body everyone had seen is real. The body is of another woman's. Who looked just like her. Ran set it all up. We all fell for it. Ran was never up on the building. It was a lookalike forced into doing it. Vermouth, Gin, Korn, and Irish forced her. Either she did it or she would lose her two children. Currently living with their grandparents. Ran observed this whole scene via camera. Haibara had the camera. Happy now?" 

The verity did come at nightfall. 

Heavy breathing resounded the quiet streets. Shoes pounded the pavement. "KID your cape!" Looking back is the worst option. "I wish. The conniving witch broke them. On the bright side, we can get in some quality exercise!" Conan slams his back against wall, grabbing KID. "Shhhh." The homicidal adults breeze by. 

KID beams happily. "How nice if you to hold my hand." Conan brings his gaze at their still held hands. Conan retracts his palm, blushing. "As if." Fortunately, it was dark so the blush came unnoticed. "Do we stay here or...?" Conan sees a hotel. "Hotel. We will stay there." KID nudges him. "Aren't you a little young to be doing it with me?" The blush becomes redder. "Your mind must be filled in debauchery."  
"Are you calling me a pervert?"  
"I call a person as I see the person." The two depart to the hotel. 

Hotels are supposed to be clean, friendly, and inexpensive. "The hotel is twenty thousand yen." KID gives the money to the uncleanly man. "Get going." He lit a cigar. Counting the cash. The room was dirty, had no air conditioning, the beds were tattered, the floors covered in trash, the room had a rancid smell, holes in the walls, the windows, broken. "Twenty thousand yen for this?!" Conan despised the hotel. "It can be worse." Conan threw the trash away. "Disgusting." He examines holes. "No rats. Lovely." Conan goes into the small bathroom. 

The mirrors mocked him. He was too short to see his own reflection. "Curse my size." No sign of a stepping stool. He should wash his hands. He turns to the sink. "The sink is mocking me too huh?" He tries reaching. Two arms picked Conan up. "You are welcome." Conan ignores the kindness and turns on the faucet. Roaches spill into the sink. Both boys rush out the bathroom, shutting it behind them. 

"I take back what I said earlier. It cannot be any worse than this." KID dusts himself off. "We should be sleeping."  
"On that bed?" Conan points. "Yeah." KID flips the bed over. "First, showers." Conan loathed the idea. "After you." Conan lies in the bed. "Alright." KID walks inside the bathroom. Minutes drips by. Soon after, KID exits the bathroom. "Good thing the towels are clean." Conan blushes. "Clothes!" He smacks the clothes at KID. "Okay! Okay!" KID closes their distance. "Wanna see more?" The question made Conan redden more. "Kidding! Just kidding!" Conan huffs. "Your reddening face is priceless Tantei-kun!" Conan stomps to the bathroom. "Do not worry! I got rid of the roaches!" Realize a kind visage. Realize when it is broken, the hell gate beholds a new universe. 

Efflorescence. Bloom is one possible way to describe the word. A flower efflorescences. Spread open the coming of the new flower. Ah the flower is luminous. Sunshine yellow. The flower stands on its own. Outshines all others. Beautifully made. Wait. A small mark catches the eye. Try smearing it off. A new color bespeaks a new posture. The flower bends. The color spreads. Dark and dismal state it us in. It screams as the change hurts. The scream morphs into laughs. It loves the change. No longer weak. No longer pitied. The real flower is revealed. 

Ran is born again as the new flower. 

"Everything is settled." Ran sits, one leg over the other. "It is. Until now." Ran opens an eyelid. "Conan and the thief escaped." The other eyelid opens. "What?" She speaks through gritted teeth. "Vermouth informed me. She nor the others have a idea of where they possibly could be." The flower grows angered. "Okay. Triple the pay. The more money, the more searching those villainous idiots will do." The flower fails in realizing villains rarely kill for money. Bloodshed is the reason. Ran caresses Haibara's cheeks. "The plan will work." A ninety to ten chance. 

A new morning came. Takegi got the answers. Even if he did not understand them. "Ran Mouri. A killer." Did the words go together? "Haibara had a part." So young Ai Haibara is. "A child having a mind if a killer? "It cannot be true. But like Conan said, there is only one truth. And I have to find out this truth. So at least I can understand it all." He wore the usual suit and tie. Cleaning himself up, he locks the door on the way to his car. 

Location one: The Mouri Residence. Time: 9 o'clock exactly. 

Knock. Knock. Knock. No answer. He grabs the doorknob. Odd... the door is unlocked. Slowly stepping in, he kept his pistol close. "Anyone home?" Nothing but the sound of his own voice. Passing by a room, heavy breathing was heard. "Hello?" He twists inside a room. Being cautious. He turns. "Haibara?" Her body was broken and bleeding. Great amounts of blood drained from inside her. "Oh my!" He kneels down to have a closer examination. 

Hurried steps tread. Takegi rises, leaning out the door. "Am I imagining perhaps?" He turns back. "Nope." A pan whacks Takegi's skull. "Haibara?" He coughs blood. "Fake blood. Definitely not the greatest officer around." The same pan smashes at the head. The last thing Takegi saw was heels. Black heels. 

The detective boys' were waiting on Takegi. "Where is Takegi? School has been over an hour ago." Mitsuhiko notice Genta intently staring at him. "Genta?" He taps his shoulder. Genta shakes his head. "Oh. Sorry Mitsuhiko. Just saw a butterfly behind you." Mitsuhiko turns around. No butterfly in sight. Ayumi gave Genta a nudge with a smile. Genta laughs. 'Is Genta hiding a secret?' Mitsuhiko ponders deeply. "Genta. May I speak with you alone? Ayumi keep watch of Takegi's car please." The two walk about a good half a mile before saying a word. 

"Genta. Are we or are we not good friends?" Genta nods in response. "You would tell me anything and hide nothing right." He nods very slowly. "Tell me Genta—"  
"Am I hiding anything? Yes! But I cannot have my... I cannot have you involved." Genta snacks himself mentally. "It has to do with Conan?" Mitsuhiko made a good hypothesis. "Yeah. Smart people always have the greatest guesses." Mitsuhiko chuckles. "Almost all the time. I have had wrong guesses. A small amount though." Genta drags one foot. "Haibara and Ran made a plan. Ms. Ran was gonna accidentally fall off a super high building. The death was faked. Everyone thought she had died. But in reality, a lookalike died. The lady was forced into it. If she refused, her two children would be killed. As we speak, Haibara and Ms. Ran are plotting to torture and possibly kill Conan and the infamous KID." Genta stood, waiting for Mitsuhiko's reply. 

Mitsuhiko stares into space. Collecting the information he had received. Ran, Haibara, accidental killing, actual killing, torturing Conan, torturing the phantom thief. Mitsuhiko hugs Genta. "Mitsuhiko?" Nervousness fills inside of Genta. A unknown feeling he has had before bubbles in him. "Thanks Genta." He releases. "Ayumi is waiting. Shall we go?" Genta nods. He and Mitsuhiko walks back. 'The feeling... what is it?' By the time Genta thought more about it, he is shaken by Mitsuhiko. A look of worry covers his face. "Ayumi is gone Genta! We should go find her." Mitsuhiko darts in a random direction. Genta follows suit. 

"You managed to find clothes my size?" The child detective is out and about. Incognito. "I kinda measured your size while you were asleep around the first time I met you." A quiet thief he is. "Of course you would invade my privacy." A large screen seizes Conan's attention. "A man named Takegi Wataru has gone missing today. Multiple calls to the police have been made regarding the man's disappearance. The police is currently searching for him. If anyone has any possible leads, we advise the person to call the police department immediately." 

 

Takegi is missing? His awful father went missing and then he... "KID we must go." Conan clasps KID's hand, running in full sprint. "Ran-niichan." Conan tasted a bitter taste. The name lost its sweet taste. The name lost its blessed meaning. The precious and special meaning. KID lifts Conan up. Breaking into am even faster sprint. KID's usual joking visage became a serious one. 'Thank you KID.' 

Mitsuhiko and Genta enters the Mouri residence. "Ayumi? Ayumi?" Mitsuhiko creaks a door open. "Ayumi?" Mitsuhiko's heart beat increases. Genta shrieks. Genta taps Mitsuhiko,pointing at a note splattered in blood. "It says: I know now. The end of his life is near. I had the blood cleaned up. No ransom is gonna work. After him is Mitsuhiko," he takes in some air, "Genta, Sonoko, and then Ayumi. We already have her. She is witless, but cute. Remember that everyone getting involved will die. Count the days prior to your death." Footsteps come their way. Genta screams, holding onto Mitsuhiko. 

Conan and KID appears before them. "Conan?! I thought you were in the hospital!" Mitsuhiko points at KID. "He is the same guy I saw at the hospital when you were there." Conan examines the domicile. "Have any clue of where the girls may be?"  
"I wish. We just arrived exactly four minutes prior to you arriving." Mitsuhiko gives Conan the note. "Haibara wrote it. I presume it is for you." Conan reads it. He crumples the paper in his fist. Mitsuhiko walks outside. "We cannot stay here. We have work to do." The remaining three walks outside. Genta released Mitsuhiko. "But where to start?" It leaves him thinking. "Sonoko." 

Jingling chains, whispers. "Haibara?" Takegi cannot move a single limb. "Takegi?" Takegi glances at his right. "Ayumi?! When... I thought..." Ayumi burst in tears. "I am sorry Takegi! It is all my fault! I knew and Genta overheard, and I— and I—" soft skin grabs her throat. "Shut up." Ran slaps her across the face. A dark bruise forms. Takegi is left in complete speechlessness. "Confused? Must I explain?" She closes Takegi's mouth. 

"It'd be best if you figure it out. Or ask the cute miniature doll." She leaves the two victims. "You okay Ayumi?" She takes some air in. "No." She breathes the air out. "I understand." Ayumi clenched her teeth. "Stupid. Idiot. Dumb. A pure imbecile falling inside the unseen trap." Takegi felt a twinge of guilt. "I fell in also. They were just a step ahead. No need to insult yourself." Ayumi brightened just the slightest. "Alright." The real guests arrive. 

"Ayumi. Takegi. We welcome your dying wish." Vodka made no movement near them. "A little friend told me you four had a part in this." Takegi is fearless. "Tell me, do you think nobody will find us?" Vodka had to laugh. "Truly funny for man who got caught so easily. Of course no one will find you. Your friends have no clue where you or that girl is." Vermouth sneers, spinning her trademark gun through a finger. "How about this: six hours. We will give them six hours to find you both. If not, then the massacre can commence." 

Six hours counting down. The hourglass turns over. Small pints of sand touches the bottom. Slowly but surely. Hearts pound, will they reach it in time? The hourglass tells all the answers once it runs out if sand from the top. A search no a race against time. Can the time make it first? Or will it be them? When they stop, it continues. It has an everlasting supply of energy. The finish line cannot be viewed just yet. 

"Sonoko! Sonoko! Please answer!"  
"Okay Conan! Give me a moment!" Sonoko combs her hair, drying up tears. "We apologize but have you watched the news?!" Sonoko lets them in. "No. Is there another problem?" Conan fixes his glasses. "Takegi has gone missing." Sonoko slumps. "Great. Can it get any worse?!" She covers her face. "I thought you may know where he is." Her face is kept covered. "He went home after eating at a restaurant. He has not called me at all." The whole world has took a turn for the worse. "Come please. We need the help." Sonoko grabbed some sandals. "No need to ask twice." Everyone left. Unaware that they were being surveiled. 

A whisper reaches Conan's ear. "Rural area down north." The faint voice said. Conan glances at the surroundings. "A feminine voice...?" Conan stops. "Conan?" Mitsuhiko asks. "Nothing in particular sort. Just thought I heard a voice." Conan listens again. "Six." The voice whispers. "Six?" Conan utters aloud. "Does six mean something?" The others stares at him, confused. "Is it a ghost?" Genta began to shake in fear. "No. It is... I am uncertain, but it is, and I reiterate, not a ghost. It sounds like... my mother." The tone of his voice softened so the others could not hear. "Is sounds like what?"  
"A lady I knew years ago." Conan partly lied. It was a lady but it's his mother. He cannot bear with telling them everything. Doing so can lead to severe pain and agony. 

"A man today named Heiji Hattori has gone missing a short while ago. Witnesses said that he had on a sky blue button on shirt, and tan khakis. If anyone seen this man please call the number at the bottom of—" A bullet cracks the screen. "Hattori? I wonder where he may be." Vermouth kicked a chair down. The chair held said person by tight ropes. "He is right here." Heiji insults towards her are muffled. "Sorry, I cannot listen if I cannot hear." The world turns dark. 

Five hours, thirty minutes. 

Search, until your heart's content. "Conan use your criminal tracking glasses." Search for a cause. "Good thinking Mitsuhiko." It turns on. "Anything?" A yellow dot blinks. "Ahead!" Can the cause be worth searching for? "Down the stairs!" Every person has one. "No way!" Touch the cold walls. "A dead end?" He punches the wall. "It cannot be wrong. My criminal tracking cannot be wrong." Conan clicks it again. 

Dots of many colors appear. "Haibara." Conan punched the wall again. Haibara planned everything. Killing the only family left, the faked death, the kidnappings. "I hate it." He punched the wall. "I hate it." The wall is punched once more. "I HATE IT!!!!" Sadness overpowers anger. The dam breaks. Tears flow, stream down his face. KID's seriousness shatters. He embraces Conan. Years of holding the tears. Years of holding pain, grief, sorrow. Ends. 

Sonoko, Mitsuhiko, along with Genta, embraced Conan. "Scour the globe as the person pleases. Covering discovered secrets, unveil the facts. A fire and its flames disbelieve facts. Display the water and they shrill. Defeat is what they do, conquer is what you do. Conan the woman you lost fought until the end. You should too." The five stood up. Conan rises his head. "I will." Mitsuhiko smiles, proud that his words helped Conan. "Time to find Ayumi and Takegi!" Shouts fill the basement of the unsaid and empty basement. A door slams. "Crud!" Genta hid behind Mitsuhiko." A thud shook the floor. "KID?" Conan felt the body. Yes, it was KID. 

"KID?" Conan checks the pulse. "He is breathing." A sigh of relief. "For the time being." In the dark a person cannot see the unknown person. Conan turns on the wristwatch flashlight. "R-Ran-neechan. His wrist wobbles. "I told you before. Stop with the niichan." Conan observes the needle Ran has. 

Conan eyed the needle. "The needle. What is in it?" His voice shaken. "A hazardous chemical. Does the substance kill a person? It probably does." A smile stretches. Conan waits for a "just kidding Conan-kun!" from Ran. "Anyway, The chemical is toxic. A friend tested it out for me. The results were quite awful." The words is never said. As she treads, the flashlight follows. 

"The chemical is dangerous. My friend, associate, died from the toxic chemical. Conans begins to worry. "Answer me Ran." Conan strained her name. "Why?"  
"I explained it already. Imagine a girl wishing the one she loves never comes."  
"Shinichi loves another." Ran is taken aback. "Who?! I loved Shinichi more than anyone. There is not another." Mitsuhiko reaches the top stair. Grabbing the doorknob, he turns it. Locked in. "You ate kidding me right?" Again, they were set up. Conan aims the watch at her. "Sorry Ran. I have two important people to save." He shoots. "Stupid." She clasps a hand around Conan's neck. "Smart. Forgot their are people smarter than you." A swift kick sends Genta and Mitsuhiko to a wall. 

"Countdown." Ran's breath blew in Conan's ear. "To death." Niceness forms and immoral takes over. A new master violently overthrows the previous one. Dreams are destroyed while nightmares come. The nightmare read another story. Blood oozing and gushing out of the body. Intestines splatters on the floor. A hole where the heart should be. An eye rolling. Can see the insides of the throat. Mouths open, screams long gone. Broken glasses. Torn skin. A story needs a new page. A story that will replay. The horror. Horror is what turned the hourglass. 

Five hours, one minute.


	6. Ticking time bomb

Takegi groans at the pain he received. He took Ayumi's whiplashes. The snap of the whip penetrates his skin. Small holes of blood appears. Ayumi cries, willing to be whipped. Takegi nonetheless takes the beating. Ayumi cried until her lungs said no more. 

"A... yumi?" She scrambled to him. "Dying is not a suggestion Takegi." Takegi chuckles. "I remember the time I saw my first corpse. I had bad dreams for the next couple of weeks. Then I threw up when I saw another one. My chief had to drive me home. Then after a few months, I gotten used to it." Ayumi fears the worst. "Stop it Takegi! You are scaring me!!!" Takegi coughs. "Sorry about that. It is crazy what a man remembers when he is near death." Ayumi took longer breaths. 

'Takegi is gonna live. Takegi is gonna live.' She chants in her head. 'Someone, anyone, will save us.' Believing is her final choice. Her strength wore thin and Takegi is at the edge. "Conan... Mitsuhiko... Help..." Can all who are born suffer and bear the harsh circumstances in their life? Others may cut their own lives short. A few continue on and hope that someday it will be better. 

Chianti, Korn, Chianti, Vermouth, gather around the helpless beings. Takegi holds Ayumi the best he can. It was a hard task considering the aching plus unreasonable punishments he acquired. "Four hours, fifty-five minutes." Vermouth sung. "They better come."  
"They will come." Ayumi spat. "Imbecilic child. You understand so little." Chianti covers the distance between her and Ayumi in seconds. 

"Your little team is in trouble with Ran at the moment. So they may come. Under the allotted time hopefully." Chianti blows white smoke. Ayumi and Takegi coughs, consuming the air. "Sleeping gas." Ayumi fell. As did Takegi. "Let me guess." Chianti begins, annoyed. "Waiting for them to arrive?"  
"Our part is done. So yes, we wait." Chianti's reflection appears on Vodka's shades. 

"To death." Ran reiterates the words again. "A death countdown." Conan stayed at KID's side. "No. A detective like me giving up is slim." Ran twitched. "A detective? A real detective would have put this stupid thief behind bars. You just chase him. Conan, if you had the chance to cuff KID, would you cuff him?" Conan hesitated. "I wish I knew. KID is one if the few enjoyments of being me. He eases my thoughts. He makes life, specifically mine, more interesting." Ran is not satisfied with Conan's response. 

"A intelligent detective having a brainless reason." She kicks Conan aside. Mitsuhiko and Genta sprung up to help but is stopped by a gun. "Scared? I thought so." Ran taunts. "As any human, you both are afraid of dying." Ran spoke the truth. Impatient, Ran kicks Conan again. "Is Conan Edogawa not gonna fight back?" And she was right. When it came to Ran, Conan refused to hit her. 

Weak is the only word that could describe Conan in the current predicament. "No. Ran... Ran-niichan."  
"I told you... It is just Ran. Nobody can call me that. Ever." Nobody? Including himself? "I cannot call you Ran." She obviously had an idea of what Conan may say next. "You are inside Ran-niichan. Fight it. Fight it." She stares, a little shocked. "The precious Ran-niichan is no longer in me." She clocks her gun. "I'm sorry." The gun shot echoes. "Ran-neechan!" Her head pours out blood. Conan crawls to her. "Ran-neechan..." He touched her hair. KID, rises from the elongated slumber. 

"I thought she intoxicated you with a poison!" Genta said. Mitsuhiko grabs the needle. "A knockout shot." He reads the label. "Yep. As I said, a knockout shot. She lied." Conan brushes Dan's hair. Conan jumps up to his feet. "Another Ran-niichan lookalike?!" The hair revealed to have temporary hair dye. "Woah." Mitsuhiko and Genta uttered. 

Conan checks the Ran lookalike for any possible ID. " Aoko Nakamori." KID snatched the ID. "You knew this Aoko person?" Conan asks curiously. "I cannot answer the question." Telling to much information is a bad thing. Conan completely understood. "I think someone should call the cops." Genta kept staring at the body. "Right." Conan checks his pockets. Pulling out his Conan phone. He dialed. 

"You called the Japan police department, what is your emergency?"  
"Hi my name is Conan and their is a dead lady on the floor."  
"Where is the address?" Conan examined the dark room with the wristwatch flashlight. No signs of any address. "There is no address."  
"Can you go outside and see?" Conan had no reason for lying. "Me and my friends are trapped." He hoped the lady won't ask why. "Can you describe the place you all are trapped in?" Fortunately, she did not ask. 

"Abandoned, dusty books, maroon carpet floors, smells of cigarettes and cigars, a big faded green table." A gasp escapes her mouth. "The old poker place! Thanks little boy, help is on the way." Conan hung up. While Genta and Mitsuhiko had a happy dance, Conan turned towards KID. He cleaned her of any hair dye. "By your reaction, she meant a lot." KID smiled. But the smile was weak. "She did." He caresses her face. 

A person may say no one can understand how a he or she feels. Yes, someone in the great earth understands. Simply step into the light. A person who apprehends, grabs his or her hand. Another grabs, then another. The person is no longer alone. "I can relate." Cops broke the door. Mitsuhiko and Genta clung onto one of the police officers, thanking them. 

The other officer, unoccupied by children, puts police tape around Aoko's body. "How did she die?"  
"She shot herself." KID answers. The police officer noticed KID's crestfallen expression. He says nothing else about said matter. More officers showed their faces. KID and Conan leaves the scene. Mitsuhiko exits the scene. Genta follows behind. 

A being can look like another. Eyes, hair, possibly clothing, skin color. But the actions differ. One may act bright, one mat act depressed. Hair can be distinct from one. Short hair, long hair. Tones, different. Believe twins are alike? Not at all. No person can fake it forever. A human can act like you. But they are not you. 

As the four walked far from the scene, Conan seizes KID's arm. "Go."  
"Huh?"  
"Go. I do not want to stress yourself by helping me." KID grips his chest. "It is so nice that you care!" Conan pushes KID. "Go KID." KID gave Conan a peck on the cheek. "See ya!" Conan blushes. "S-stop d-doing t-that!" Conan fumes. "I cannot my darling." He snickers but somewhere in the sentence he actually sounded like he meant it. 

Three hours exactly.

Conan at the very moment realized that: Sonoko is nowhere to be found. "Mitsuhiko. Wasn't Sonoko with us earlier?" Mitsuhiko gasped. "She got captured!" Takegi, Ayumi, and now Sonoko? "Come on! Lives are at stake!" Genta drooled. "Steak..." He licked his lips. Mitsuhiko grabbed Genta's visage. "Shall we worry about food at the present time?" Genta kissed Mitsuhiko. "Sorry." Genta caught up to Conan. "Did he... on the lips?" He really hoped science could explain it. 

Ayumi disapproved of letting go of hope. She is a fighter until her last breath. "Hang in there Takegi." She held him close. "Hang in there Takegi." Vermouth mocks Ayumi. "Two hours gone and still no hero." Ayumi ignored her. No hero shows in at a moment's notice. "Once the time runs out, your death and his is gonna be fun." Chianti loved the idea of killing them. Gin and Vodka also loved the idea. 

Killing is the one thing every villain loved. Real villains. Villains whom only cared about themselves. No child, parents, significant other, grandparents, nobody. Just themselves. "Conan is my friend! He and the others will save us!" Ayumi had a lot of hope. "Keep on believing." Vodka utters. "Time cannot stop." Vodka saw and done tons of things he'd rather conceal. It all took time. The devil in the shadows is watching. And he is cherishing every agonizing moment.

"Sonoko." A light kick on the leg. "Huh?" She blinks. "Ran?" She groans. "We apologize for the uncomfortable sleep." Haibara stepped in so Sonoko can see her. "Faking death, caused two women to be killed, and kidnapping? What happened to you Ran?" Ran showed no emotion. 

"Since Sonoko is here, should we tell her?" Haibara whispered to Ran. "Fine." Sonoko was confused. "Sonoko, your friends Takegi Wataru and Ayumi Yoshida are going to die in less than three hours. The entire plan was created by me. Everything from the killing on the rooftop until now is all planned by me." Sonoko confusion twisted into sheer horror. 

Sonoko had a best friend once. Her name? Ran Mouri. She loved the sunshine days. She enjoyed a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day. Her smile lit up the room. She fought for the weak. Cherished happy memories of her childhood. She wished the world and its society can be fixed. Equal. Devoting time for anyone who needed her. But she has changed. 

"Relationships end. They all do." Sonoko is heartbroken by Haibara's comment. Haibara could not understand. She and Ran only known one another for a short time. Ran and Sonoko? Been together since kindergarten. Maybe earlier than that. 

Haibara and Ran exits the room. Closing the door behind them. The room had no windows. It had no air conditioning so when it got hot, she had no other choice but to bear with it. "I miss Ran. My best friend of many years. Something... someone corrupted your mind." Sonoko lied on the cold ground. "I miss her so." Quietly, she cried. A small light flickered. Sonoko crawled to the light. A firefly was the small light. 

Her palms opened, the firefly landed in her palms. "You must be lost too little firefly." The firefly flew to a wall, swaying back and forth. Sonoko stood, treading. She touched the wall. The small firefly pushes the wall. "Oh!" She pushed the wall with great energy. The wall broke apart completely, causing a alarm to go off. 

'Uh oh.' She broke the rest of the wall off, breaking into a sprint. 'All thanks to a firefly.' She looks back. The firefly flew in the skies. "Be free firefly. Be free." She crashed into a person. "Ouch!" She gasps. "Heiji?"  
"Sonoko? What are—"  
"No time!" She snatches him by the hand, darting oncoming traffic. 

Conan, Mitsuhiko, and Genta scoured most of the Japan area for the missing three by foot. So far, dead ends. Asked citizens of if they knew a teenage girl, brown hair, and a younger girl tagging along with her. Every answer was the same as the last. No. 

Mitsuhiko realizes that Conan's glasses were no ordinary glasses. He forgot that Conan can use his criminal tracking glasses. "Conan! You have criminal tracking glasses right?!"  
"Of course! I can track down our detective boys' badges!"  
"Exactly! Why did we not think about that earlier?"  
"Because your minds at the time was in other places." Genta intervenes, making a valid point. 

Conan clicks on the criminal tracker. "They are..." Conan takes a few steps forward. "Here." All they saw was a empty lot. "Is there a malfunction in these glasses?" He tried again. "There must be." He tried several more times. "I think they are underground." Genta notices a door stuck in the ground. "Can it open?" And miraculously, it did. "Great job Genta!" Mitsuhiko praised. The three enters into the underground place. 

The entrance slams behind them, sending the three down a flight of stairs. Genta hit the bottom first. Then Mitsuhiko. Then finally, Conan. "It is so dark in here." The three rose from the tile floor. "Very dark indeed Genta." Mitsuhiko dusted himself. Conan feels around for his glasses. "My glasses!" He picks them up. The glasses felt strange. "Great. My glasses must have broke during the fall." 

'Once everything is settled, ask Dr. Agasa to repair the glasses.' Conan mentally notes. A bright flash. "Hello my fellow children! And tantei-kun." KID. "I thought I can help."  
"Help? A thief is helping us?" Conan thought he told KID to to leave earlier. "Hey! A thief can be good too!" From thin air came three flashlights. "Can we trust him Conan?" Mitsuhiko inquires since KID is on the opposite side of the law. 

"Personally, no. But let's trust him just this once." KID clapped, excitement in his veins. "Yes!" He gives the three the flashlights. The lights flicked on. "Very radiant." Mitsuhiko commented on the brightness of said flashlights. Conan leads the way. 

Heiji understood everything Sonoko said. Minus the fact that sje explained it all quickly. "Ran. We talking about the same Ran right?" She nods. "She faked her death and it turns out that a lookalike forced into it, dying in the process?" Again, she nods. "Another lookalike got killed, and Ran wants to kill Conan? I thought I was crazy." Heiji sips some coffee. 

"She changed a whole lot. I still am trying to understand why she would do all these things."  
"Maybe she has a legitimate reason Sonoko."  
"She has no accurate reason." Sonoko's coffee is left untouched. "Why are you calm?!"  
"I know Conan. He can solve this just like he can with cases. I believe Conan can win. One little boy with a mind that knows." Sonoko gripped her knees. 

"He can." An unnerving feeling swells in her. She barely knew a thing about Conan. Ran never told her about Conan. She was complaining of a boy she knew. May it was Conan Ran was talking about. If Heiji believed it, then it must be true. Probably. 

An hour remaining. 

Chianti tapped her foot. She hated to wait to kill someone. If she caught them, they would be dead. "The hourglass is winding down. Have any final words?" Ayumi ignored Chianti. That made Chianti furious. But she merely tapped her foot again. 'Stupid girl.' Footsteps tread. " Chainti. I have an assignment." The person who said the short sentence was Ran. 

"Ah. An assignment." It can keep her from killing the little nuisance. "Tear Sonoko's flesh apart." Chianti retrieves her gun. "Way better than babysitting" She leaps out of the nearsest window. "R-Ran?" Aymui is freightened, or has been freightened by, Ran. "I loved a boy named Shinichi. Shinichi Kudo. One late night on a case he departed himself to the restroom. Hours passed and still no sign of him. Haibara searched for him while we waited. Neither came back." A red button is near Ran. 

"Alas, Haibara had another name when the incident ocurred. But she is umimportant. I have no choice." The button is pressed. Rocks begin fallling from the ceiling. Ran simply sits, watching Ayumi and the already weak Takegi trying to escape. They managed to. 

Conan, KID, Mitsuhiko, and Genta feels the rumble from the explosion. "The ceiling is collapsing!" Mitshuhiko dodges a falling rock. "Mitsuhiko!" He knew the person who shouted. "Ayumi!" He rushes but is stopped by a tumbling rock. "Ayumi!" Mitsuhiko tries moving the rock. But it never budged one inch. 

"I am alright Mitsuhiko! Go! I manknow of another way out of this place"  
"Conan, Ran is still here." Takegi warns. "So she is." Takegi and Ayumi left, searching for the other exit. "I can handle this." Mitsuhiko and Genta understood what he meant and left also. KID grabs Conan, vanishing to the room Ran is in.


	7. Cry on my shoulder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter more than yesterday!

The underground building rumbled. Conan and KID stand before Ran. "Whereas I hate Conan but he still shows up with a thief." Conan takes Ran's arm. "No one else is dying while I am still a detective." Ran's arm jerks. "As if! The building is bound to collapse yet the great detective is here!!!" It disgusted Ran seeing Conan with KID. How can any living person trust a criminal?! A man on the oppsosite side of the law? 

"Ran-neechan. Please..." Ran softened her tone. "Okay... Conan-kun." The dam broke. Tears streamed from his eyes. With KID's assisstance, the three evacuated the building. 

Conan felt a warmness in the earth's core. But his heart was the thing that was warm. The police is waiting outside. Whomever called the police, must have known everything that is and was occuring. "Ran Mouri! You are under arrest!" An officer snatched Ran from Conan. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do will be used against you in the court of the law..."   
"Stop this!!! SHE CAN EXPLAIN!!!" Conan tried to fight through the officers but was held back by even more police officers.

KID did nothing. He saw a similar situation like the one now. A little boy of four years old. Mother got cuffed due to a hit and run with a pedestrian. Being young nad having no part of it, he got taken into open adoption. His father came and took custody back. 

"RAN-NEECHAN!!!! RAN-NEECHAN!!!! RAN-NEECHAN!!!" Conan cried, trying to reach out to her. Ran is taken away in cuffs. The other police officers left into their own cars, driving away. Conan fell to his hands and knees. 

KID, not caring for who saw, kneeled. Lifting Conan, KID merely walked. Having no destination in particular to head to. "Starting a new beginning is harder than ceasing the end." KID brushes his hair against Conan's skin, comforting him.

KID had an understandability of Conan's situation. "It can be tough." KID manages to utter. "Everyone suffers. The wealthy, the poor, the old, the young. Obstacles are a part of life. We all have obstacles." KID plucks a sakura blossom. 

"The sakura blossom is amazing this time of year." Conan tried listening to KID. Having Ran taken to jail or possibly prison bounced unceremoniously in his brain. "Ran-neechan." Conan still felt a little happiness that he can call her Ran-neechan. And she call him Conan-kun. At the point KID stopped walking, they were at the police station. 

Conan observed Ran. She looked crestfallen. She taken a photo from her pocket. Conan sneeked a peek at said photo. The picture was of him and Ran at the amusement park. Ran wore a bright yellow sundress whereas Conanwoe his normal suit. Their smiles were genuine. Nothing unreal like the supernatural. But the photo was before Ran "snapped". 

Mitsuhiko sat upon a chair, thinking. 'Is Genta okay?' He touched his lips. A tingling sensation erupts. "A sentiment...?" He takes a pencil. Writitng scientific equations. "Can a scientific equation help?" Mitsuhiko known little regarding love. 

It is an emotion expressed by two people who loved each other. Did Genta like him in that way? Is it possible? "I should ask him." He set his books aside. "Mom! Can you drive me to Genta's house?"   
"Sure Mitsuhiko!" She bellows from downstairs. Mitsuhiko changes from his nightwear and into a suit. "It may be to Genta's domicile, but I should look presentable." 

The car ride lasted a short while before the car pulled up into the driveway. Mitsuhiko knocks on the door. "Who's knocking?" Genta asked behind the door. "Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya is knocking." Genta unlocks the door. "Come in!" Mitsuhiko walks in. "Mrs. Tsuburaya." Genta bows respectively. "Hello Genta." She walks in. 

Genta nervously lets Mitsuhiko into his room. "Your mother is a nice woman." Mitsuhiko seats himself. "Yours too." Silence. Normally this rarely happened. They could have a conversation that lasted hours. Now it merely lasted ten seconds. 

Genta aches in patience. 'Is he here... because of that kiss?' A sigh scares Genta. "May I ask you a query Genta?" He gulps. "Why did your lips touch mine?"   
"B-Bec-c-cause of a side effect on medication I took!" Mitsuhiko lets out another sigh. Genta breathes in some air. "I like you okay?" Mitsuhiko never expected that answer. 

"Happy? It is not like you feel the same anyways." Genta drags his foot across the carpet. "I am unsure Genta of how I feel. When your lips touched mine, I experienced for the first time what that emotion really is." Mitsuhiko blushed. "It is very eccentric at this very moment." He shadow looms over him. Genta embraced Mitsuhiko. "Mitsuhiko-kun~." The boy's blush reddened. Mitsuhiko is at the peak of warm happiness. 

Can Ayumi be happy concerning the fact that Genta likes Mitsuhiko? And that Mitsuhiko might like him back? 

A fist slams on a wooden table. "Such an idiot Ran." A chair tips over. "Thinking a crying act is gonna work?" A glass vase broke. "Rewriting the blueprint huh Ran?"A bathroom mirror is smashed with a phone. "Looks, people say, are everything?" A piece of the broken mirror is held. "Those kinds of people are brainless imbeciles." A scar is seen. A finger runs across the curved scar. "I think not." 

The flames go out. Haibara Ai hungers for vengence. No. It does nothing. She may be killed. A route not worth taking. "I apologize fo everything." Is the person whom she is speaking to God? A dead loved one? Many questions without answers. Mnay answers without proper questions. The world is uncomprehensible. 

An eternity breezed by while Ran stared at the jury. She hoped the jury can release her from what is going to happen. "We find the defendant, Ran Mouri, not gulity because of mental illness." A person above has been listening to her silent prayers. 

The judge did sentence her to one thousand hours of community service and probation. If that is even possible. The cops had eyes on her. She could only go a certain amount of miles. Not outside of Japan. Cleaning up around the Japan area is the first and the only time she can go outside. 

Ayumi and Takegi stayed at the hospital. The black and blue bruises, the whip marks, cuts, whip lashes. If they were kept in the underground any loonger, both would be dead horses on their graves. Pure white bandages wrapped around the merciless shame. Stiches sewn shut the guilt. Patched up only to remember. 

"Ms. Yoshida, you have visitors." Her parents, Mistuhiko, and Genta enters. Her mother hugs her tighlty. "I apologize for not being there when you needed me most. I apologize fore being a horrible mother." Ayumi touches her mother's hair. "There is no need to aplogize. It is my own fault."   
"Everyone in some sort is at fault." Her father states. 

Mitsukhiko felt more at fault. If he talked to Genta near her, then maybe she would not be in this situation. The conversation between him and Genta should have waited. "My sadness fades away when I know I have people that care about me as much as I care about them." A sudden warmness took up the entire room. "Hello?" A person enters the room. "CONAN?!?!?" Everyone shouts. A lady came in, shushing them. She leaves. 

"Ayumi." Conan eyes were red. "Are you okay?" Ayumi forgot about her bruises. Conan looked as of he had been crying for centuries. "Yes. How long until you are released?" Conan dismissed saying anything further concerning his well-being. "The nurse said three months." Takegi is still unconscious. 

All the attention rotates towards Takegi. "Has he woke up at any point?" Conan queries. "No." Ayumi breathes heavily. A nurse strolls in, heels clicking . "Your friend Takegi has eight fractured ribs, two of them punctured a lung. The doctors will be doing sugery on him later in the afternoon. Bones are also fractured in the leg, arms, and back. He is not dying, no. Takegi is going to be well once the surgery is over." 

Takegi is the nicest person as can be. A nervous man at times. He loves the job and would never ask for any other. As he grew from a child to a man, he had only one path he wanted to take. At some point, he wanted a family. Maybe a child or two. Nobody really interested him though. Maybe one person. But he cannot have kids with that person. Life filled with problems. Problems needing solutions. Right this second, a huge problem awaited a solution. 

Ran, on surveillance, cleaned under the highways. "Way too pretty to be cleaning." She paused. "Far too pretty to be in jail or prison." Any criminal would rather clean than be stuck in prison and never see the light of day. "Ran-chan." Came a familiar voice. "Sonoko-chan." Ran thought that she should be hanged. She got Sonoko injured, held her captive in a windowless cell. 

She continued cleaning. "Need any help?"   
"No. I must suffer because of my consequences." Sonoko hated the ides of Ran dong this. Of course a person is supposed to clean but cleaning because of crimes. Ran, in a way, deserved it. She killed the only relative Conan had left. 

It astonished Ran that Sonoko still cared. "Do you hate me Sonoko-chan?" Her head shakes. "Why? It IS awful that you murdered someone though. Still, you did it for reason. Hopefully." Sonoko murmured. "I did. A personal reason." Sonoko nods in understanding. "Just wanted to see you Ran-chan. I guess we can talk later." Ran waves her goodbye. 

"Sonoko..." 

KID stands upon the highest building. "Tantei-kun. Is there a reason?" A pigeon lands on the edge of the building. "Is there such a reason things happen?" KID's cape blows in the silent wind. "Tantei-kun. Is there a reason?" THe pigeon flies. "To hold back your tears? You cried once. The very image stuck inside my mind. Flashing everytime I close my eyes to sleep" He falls. The cape spreads like a bird's wings. 

Heiji is at home. How did Heiji escape the hands of the devils of murder? He had to fight his way out. It left a brutal mark. "So what? It beats dying." Even though he wished he escaped unscathed. 

Cries. Tears. Horror. Blood. Bodies. Muder. Homicide. Gone through it all. But has anyone commited suicide?


	8. Too many to count

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The eighth chapter commences.

"Ran where are you? Ran?" Haibara searched the Mouri residence but there is no sign of her. "Where is she?" The sound of a creak snatches her attention. "Haibara." Ran stood before her. "Thanks. I really appreciate the scar you gave me." Sarcasm taints her voice. 

Ran threw the clothes she had on in a basket. "It's your own fault." She slips into a sundress. Haibara closed the gap between them. "The same."  
"The same?"   
"Yeah. It's your own fault you have to be here all day. It's your own fault that you are an idiot. It's your own fault that two, make that three, citizens were killed. I thought you knew what you were getting yourself into." 

Ran shrugs. "At first I did." But afterwards, her plan backfired. She ended up with a world's worth of community service and probation on top of that. "Thanks to your briliant plan, I have a scar." She point directly at the scar "Oh." 

"Yeah." Haibara finds some aloe vera. She applies some of it on the scar. "I hope you got a better idea." Ran combs her hair. "As of now? No. When I get off this probation and done with community service, then I can do my next plan." She lies on the couch. 'Your next plan hopefully benfits the both of us.' 

After months of being in a hospital (three months in exact), the two leave in wheelchairs. Ayumi's mother kept apologizing over and over. Ayumi always told her that "You are not at fault." But her mother refused to believe it. 

Takegi calls in, telling his boss the reason for his absence. The man told him it was fine. He even recieved worker's compensation for the tme he was gone! Minus the torture, it was worth it. Even though money barely mattered to Takegi.

KID stretched one leg over a red lazer. He lifts the glass case that was covering the jewel. "Beautiful." He swaps the real jewel with a fake one. "Phew." The alarm goes off. "The security has gotten better." Footsteps got louder and louder."Typical." He waited until the police officers reached him. "Raise your hands and put them behind your back!" Takegi bellows. Conan stood in fronnt of Takegi. 

'This is gonna be interesting.' KID raised both hands. "Time to go!" He vanished in a cloud of white smoke. "Great. Everyone, barricade all exits!" Officers ran in different directions. Conan took his own way. 

Conan read KID like a book. The way KID would normally get away is through a rooftop. Conan saw a silhouette once he reached the rooftop. He chuckles. "Arrogant thief." Conan felt KID's smile. "Tantei-kun. A pleasent surprise no?" Conan overheard cops down below. "Astonishing that you always come running from whatever it is that you are doing just to see me." Conan had his trademark soccer ball behind his back. 

"So true. Tell me a fact KID. What color is a soccer ball?"   
"The same color it had always been black and white." Conan drops the soccer ball, kicking it straight to KID's face. "Ouch~!" The ball rolls. "Thanks. I needed a reminder of what the colors are." He stated. Conan knew the colors of a soccer ball. He simply wondered if KID remembered. 

"Such a hurtful person." KID pouts. "But still cute~!" Conan turns around, the faintest of blushes appearing. "Gonna arrest me? Caught me red handed." True. The jewel... Where is the jewel? "Nice try KID. Hand the jewel over."   
"Check in your sleeves." Conan slid his hand up the sleeve. 

"As if I..." Conan pulled out the jewel. "Could find the jewel in my sleeves." Huh. A coincidence maybe? Maybe not. "And so ends another talk from Tantei-kun and I. I bid you goodnight." He held Conan's hand, kissing it. KID looks into Conan's sea blue eyes before he flew into the star lit night. 

Conan stood there for a few seconds. "KID. Always messes up my train of thought." Across on another building, a girl stood. "No longer will I be in pain. No longer shall my eyes pour out rain. Suffering is my shadow, I reflect upon my actions. The last day begins anew." The girl falls. 

"NO!" Conan jumps, paraglider in full bloom. He grabs the girl's hand. She snatches her hand back. The girl kicks Conan with sheer force. Her head splatters the concrete road below. Conan gapsed. He was too late. The girl chose dying over living. "Nii-chan..." The glider finally reaches the ground. 

Conan collasped on the bleeding body. "Is there a explanation as to why you killed yourself nii-chan?" A thud echoes in the distance. Conan sprung up. He walks about half a mile. A small splash startles him. He examines it. "Blood?" He follows the trail of blood. "Nee-chan?" A boy around teen age lied there, blood oozing from his limp body. 

Conan cheked the boy's pockets. Nothing found. Even more thuds echoed, getting closer and closer.One body fell right on front of him. "How...?" The darkness showed no sign of a policeman or a police station.

Yes it did seem astonishing. Bodies falling from chart-topping bulidings and no one noticed. Either A, the whole area was abandoned or B, someone drugger every citizen in the area, or C, no one cared because they thought it was teenagers having a party. But none of them were possible. "Edogawa." Called a voice. "Edogawa." They teen child detective whipped his head. Nothing. Just the streetlight and more buildings. 

"Are you driving these people to suicide?" Conan slowly turns, tranqulizer ready. "If I am? A little false child cannot stop a person they cannot see with the naked eye." Conan mentally records the voice. The vileness in the voice, the pauses of each word, and whether the being was female or male. His eyes shot open. 

"Vermouth." More thuds. "The thuds you are hearing is countless bodies of teens." Conan knew that. "Commiting suicide." That also. "The teens had horrible lives already. So why not end their misery?" A question still lingered: Who? "The suicides are none of my concern though. If the smart boy can crack a case, this should be easy." And so she departs. 

Of course Conan had solved many cases. Depsite that factuality, he never had a suicide case. Homicide, fraud, theft. Not suicide. He is a detective. Not a police officer. Those jobs in a way are similar but are different. This is meant for a policeman. And he knew the one person who could help him. Takegi Wateru. 

Dream a dream, hope it comes true. Dream a dream until your face turns blue. Dream a dream, as the eyes cast. Dream a dream. Let it not be the last. Further the dream the person awakes on a building. The highest structure in all of Japan. "But how...?"   
"Simply suicide." The person whirls to the sound of the voice. "Nii-chan." Said the bodiless voice. "Suicide?" The girl glances at the cuts she graved on her skin. 

"Yes. Suicide. Your mother is an alcoholic while your father is a drug dealer. Your mother would beat in you while your father watched, not even caring." The girl, scared, ran but the world just got darker. "Come if you want to see the light. Follow my voice. Come." The girl did as she was told. Without realizing it herself, she fell off the tall structure. She twists, face to the sky. "I see a bright sun. I can see it." The skull of the girl breaks open. She thought of light but death is only the bright sycthe of endless darkness. 

Takegi typed on his laptop. Searching information about Yusaku Kudo. Yes, the man is currently dead. Everyone in Japan knew that. "Is the famous Yusaku Kudo hiding anything?" A article captured Takegi's attention. "Let me see here..." He clicked on the article. It was titled: Yusaku Kudo killed his wife? Takegi begins reading the article. His phone rings. He picks his phone up, answering it. 

"Takegi Wateru."   
"Takegi, this is Conan." It astonished Takegi that Conan is calling this time of night. "Did something happen?" Nothing is heard. "Conan?"  
"Bodies of innocent people are piling up. All of a sudden, boys and girls ages thirteen to eighteen are killing themselves." Takegi closed the laptop.  
"Suicides?"  
"Yes. No one witnessed it other than me. I also seen Vermouth. But she said she had nothing to do with the suicides."   
"Wait there Conan." Takegi grabs a coat and exits his house, locking the door. "Even I can never rest when it comes to these sorts of things." 

Conan inspected every body that was already on the ground. Each had scars on their wrists and tears in their eyes. It could be quite possible for them to die happy. Now that their pain is gone. "Conan.' Takegi utters. Conan motions him to come near. "Suicide huh?" Takegi squats. Takegi, with gloves, examines the scars. "Self-harm." Takegi lifts the person's arm to view. 

"Rum. There must be some logical reason for the word "Rum" is carved into this girl's skin. Was the person referring to the drink?"  
"The person's name is Rum."   
"Odd name."   
"For a unseen being. If it is human." Takegi stares at Conan, confused. "Is Rum a supernatural being?"  
"More like a shadow of no possible gender or race."   
"Conan let me get this straight. You think this "Rum" guy, person, whoever, is causing thsee teens to commit suicide?" Conan nods. "Possibly. Rum is part of the Black Organization." Takegi gasps. "The Black Oraganization. These killers never stop do they..."


	9. Short-lived nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the next chapter!

And here is the next chapter! 

"A heist with dead bodies is a no-no." KID removes the signature, his signature, hat and suit. "Kuroba?" His body swivels. "Huh?!" He thought he heard... no. She is dead. He seen the body for himself. "Losing my mind am I?" He lands on his bed. "A good night sleep does the trick." And so he slept.

"Kuroba? Kuroba? Kuroba?" Gravity became that of the moon. "Aoko? Where have..." A mirror stood in front of KID. He touched the mirror. A misty image appeared. The image had peach, red, and green intertwined inside it. KID smudges the picture. The image became more clear. All KID saw was a green dress. He continued smudging the image, until it became clearer to see. 

"Oh my god." Aoko's peach colored face was ripped on one side, whereas the other side had so many scars. Aoko's visage looked like it had gone through a lawn mower. "Kuroba." The mirror image of Aoko smiled. "Who did this Aoko?! WHO?!?!" KID demanded an explanation. "I did this to myself. You could call it self-abuse. I call it release." She dug her nails into her skin. 

KID tries breaking the mirror, failing miserably. "Stop it Aoko-chan!" KID banged the glass harder and harder with every hit. The glass refused to break. The mirror image got worse. She rips her flesh until bones could be seen. It horrified KID. The best option is to turn away. His head stood its ground. He used all strenght possible. "My head won't move." KID strenously fought so his head can budge just the slightest inch. 

"Let me play with you Kuroba-kun. She reaches out the mirror. "Let me play with you." Her voice went deep, eyes spilling blood. KID broke free of the invisible chain, running. "Kuroba-kun! Kuroba-kun!" A light shone in the   
empty air. He jumped into the light. He awoke.

KID grabbed his chest, heavily breathing. "My goodness that was a awful dream. Why did I have that dream? I seen her dea body and none of that happened to her." He check his watch. "Nine fifty-four? Damn!" KID cursed. First, he has the most gruesome dream in his life, and now he is late for school again. 

KID slipped in class in secret. "Kuroba Kaito." So close. "Sit." He did exactly as the teacher asked. "On page thirty-two everyone do problems..." KID tuned her out completely, watching the clouds. He then gazed at the empty seat next to him. 

"Aoko sat there." KID sighed. "She usually laugh at my pranks." The class bell rung. "Turn in the assignment for homework next class." All of the students left. KID being the first one to leave. A dark shadow looms over KID. No one could see this "ghost" hovering over KID's head. 

"Kuroba." KID jumps. "Aoko?!" He turns around. Nobody. "I swore I heard er voice." KID took longer strides. "Focus on class. Focus on class." He repeated like a mantra. Still over the course of the day, KID listened to the voice of Aoko. The closest person he knew. 

Conan, alongside Takegi, worked night and day for the past twelve hours. Putting one piece of the puzzle at a time. Sadly short after always lost that golden piece that got them a foot close in finding Rum. They soke to the deceased victims' parents, wonndering of they knew anything. Or at least have a bit of useful information. 

Conan slams the stack of papers on Takegi's desk. "And this is?"  
"Cases involving a "black ghost" as most called it." Takegi grabs the stack of papers. "So the both of us are expected to look through all of these cases just to find some clues?" Conan pinches his forehead. "Aren't you the police officer?" Takegi sighs. 

"Yeah but a determined police officer is not gonna rummage through all of the cases from ten, twenty years ago to now. We might have..." A black figure stood about ten meters from where Conan was. "Conan..." He points directly ahead. 

Conan felt the smile that Rum had on his darker than night visage. A cool touch caused Conan to shiver. "I guess Edogawa-kun figured it out." It was very difficult to decipher whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman. Conan's shot the tranquilizer at Rum. A maniacal laughter erupted. 

"Edogawa-kun, I am but a shadow. Your measly weapon will do nothing." And right he was. The dart went straight in and done no damage. "Why cause so many people to kill themselves? Why?"   
"How do you think I came about?" Conan stopped to think. "You were... a real person?"  
"Yes. A long while ago. I have done the same."  
"Why did you?" Conan couldn't help but ask. Rum brought a hand over Conan's head. "Three, two, one." Conan fell, unconscious. "Conan!" Takegi dashes for Rum, gun in hand. A hand brought Takegi to a halt. "One, two, three." Alas, Takegi is drifted to a slumber. 

Bright sunshine yellow. "Rum?" Conan whipped hishead in all directions. "Shinichi my wonderful son." The lady had a polka-dotted dress, red heels, hair shined as much as the yellow sunshine did. "Mother?" He has not heard his real voice in a long while. He felt his face. He is Shinichi. NOT Conan. "The mall is this way." How sweet sounding her voice was. Has it been that long? 

The mall is crowded in people. The mall dazzled in happiness. KIds having new toys. Couples holding hands. Elders wore the greatest clothes they had. Everyone is so happy. So why did an uneasy sensation filled inside of him? "SHINICHI!!!" 

"Mother."She was being taken away by huge men. "MOTHER!!!" He ran. Something zapped him. "What the..." He reached out his hand. "Ouch!" A electric force field perhaps? He tried moving rearward. Again, he was shocked by electricity. The three men had no faces. Just like... Rum. 

"Show yourself Rum!" Shinichi's fists clench tightly. An echoing cackle shook the ground below him. "I love the way she shouts. Don't you Shinichi?"   
"I said show yourself Rum!" Shinichi is tired of this "chat" going on. "But your poor mother needs help Shinichi or shall I say Conan?"  
"Shut up and show yourself!"   
"SHINICHI!!!" His mother shouts. He ignored. Everything occuring is a dream. None of it is real. "Until we meet again." The dream broke apart. "Shinichi..." He wished for one day to hear her voice. Not like this. 

Coanan and Takegi woke up. "He will return." Takegi never had a dream. Nor did Rum ever return.


	10. A dead end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! A new chapter with our favorite thief in white.

Love and lust. Two emotions that can either harm or heal a person. Lust is a poison any desperate being intakes. Love is an antidote that can cure the worst of pasts. For KID, a.k.a Kuroba Kaito, he wanted love. No. He needed love. Being the thief that he is, he managed to steal the heart of Conan Edogawa, a.k.a Shinichi Kudo.

It pained KID seing couples make love, even during his heists. He made sure the couples had a wet and sticky surprise waiting for them. "Ah daylight. Oh how you shine my day with your warmth."   
"Reciting poetry KID?" The highlight of KID's day. Seeing the face of the little detective. 

"Tantei-kun!!!" KID twirled gracefully as if he were in a ballet. "So KID. No heists tonight?" KID smirks. "Maybe..." Conan released a chuckle. "Arrogant thief." KID bows, hat in hand. "At your service. Tantei-kun. Tell me something."  
"And that is?" KID pauses for a moment. "Plan on getting married?"   
"Why does KID, the infamous and utterly arrogant thief, needs to know?"  
"Just curious." Conan gets into his thinking pose. 

"Someday." KID also went into thought. "A male or a female?"   
"Obviously a woman. I cannot make children with a male."  
"Awww. I actually had plans to marry you Tantei-kun."   
"Shut up KID." Regardless of his own response, he pictured of what it would be like marrying KID. Would he be on the run like KID? Would he have no choice but to take part in KID's famous heists?

"Tantei-kun~.Are you thinking about marrying me?!" Conan blushed. "I'd rather die than do that!" His blushing face bespoke of another truth. "You do! You do! You really, really do~!" KID sung. "I really don't!"   
"Conan-kun!" KID slides off the tall structure. "We'll meet again Tantei-kun! Or shall I say, future partner!" Conan shot a tranqualizer dart at him, missing effortlessly. 

"Sonoko-chan!" His voice became childlike as usual. "Is there a person out here you are orating with?"   
"No." He replied. Sonoko shrugs the subject off. "Alright then. Come Conan-kun. Ran-chan and her father is waiting at the house. Haibara also. The dinner is already done." The two remove themselves from the mountainous edifice. 

Haibara, Ran and her father awaited at the dining table. Ran placed a napkin in her lap. "Conan-kun and Sonoko-chan should hurry. I watched the news and the newscaster said that there is going to be scattered thunderstorms." Haibara groaned. One quality she did not have was patience. 

The creaking sound of a door assured that they finally arrived. "The reason of being so late better be good." Haibara growled. "Che. Idiot." She whispered. Sonoko bows. "The buses took forever to arive! I have no power for the buses to magically come quicker." She took her seat, clockise from Ran. 

"You ever thought of sex Conan-kun?" Ran's father bursted out with the worst question possible. "Father! Conan-kun is six! Sex is one thing a boy his age should learn about when he is older." Conan coughed. "I feel sick Ran nii-chan! I will got to bed. Goodnight!" He wanted the vulgar conversation about "that" to cease. 

Conan lied on the floor. A blanket with one layer of cotton inside of it. "Ran-neechan... If only I can tell you the truth. The wholesome truth." He understood that Ran probably never liked him. On the opposite side, Conan, for some unknown reason, had no feelings towards Ran. From the very beginning he thought of her only as a sister. Not a lover, but a sister. A thought erupted in Conan's cerebrum.

'Am I gonna be Conan for the rest of my life? Can I go on being Conan? Can someone, anyone, help me?' A name spills from Conan. "Hiroshi Agasa." The man is an intellectual one. Mitsuhiko had knowledge, but Dr. Agasa had tons of knowledge. "I should see him int the morning." Hopefully he will have a cure. 

"The APTX 49 poison is uncurable Conan. Sorry." First you get a good night sleep then the nest thing you know, the smartest person ever says there is no cure. What a day. "No cure? There has to be one Dr. Agasa. There has to." Conan grabbed hold of Agasa's coat collar. "Tell me Dr. Agasa. Are you lying?"   
"Me? Lying? Absolutely absurd Conan-kun." Conan releases Agasa's collar.

"Dr. Agasa. Please. Find the solution." Tears almost broke through but he held it in. "I will try Conan-kun. I cannot make any promises though." Conan departs, bidding farewell. Dr. Agasa beagn working on making the one thing that can make Conan's lifee back to the way it was. 

A cure for the APTX 49 poison. 

Thrown in a ocean of doubts. The doubting statements always started with "If" or other sentence starters. "If Ran knew I was Shinichi Kudo, would she think of me in a different way?" Some of those doubts are more or less questions. "She probably already knows. There's some sort of possibility that Haibara told her." 

Conan got up and went straight to the bathroom. He looked at hmself in the mirror. On one side he saw a little boy of six. Even though he is still seventeen. He told no one of his real age. Basically helooked six, but wasn't six. "Tantei-kun~!" Conan screamed. "KID!" Conan felt his pulse race. 

"It's called knocking! Ever heard of it?!"   
"I came thorugh the window. Not the door. A huge difference ya know." He ruffled Conan's hair. "Something's the matter Tantei-kun. Don't deny the fact. It is written all over your face." Conan straightens his hair, soughing . Usually, his face is never this easy to read. 

"The matter is none of your concern KID." He left the bathroom. "Understandable. Still, the problem can be easier if you get it off your chest." Conan thought before making a decision.  
"No harm no foul right? But I cannot tell him every detail." He pivots, jumping back due to the lack of space between them. "Fine. I have the APTX 49 poison. Pretty sure you know that. I asked a doctor to find a cure for it. He said that there is no cure. I begged for him to find a cure. He said that he will try. Happy now?"   
"Feel lighter?"   
"I do." He admits.

"Positive? Because those two words sounded like our wedding vows!" Conan blushed. "I am admitting that I feel lighter! Not no wedding vows! Such a perverse person." He crossed his armed over. "Perverse? Untrue! I know Tanei-kun is around my age." Conan gasped. He knew?   
"Gasp? Your mind if far too intelligent to be a six year-old." A pounding erupted. 

"Conan-kun! Conan-kun! Unlock the door please!" KID snuck out of the window, blowing a kiss to Conan. Conan pretended it never transpired. Conan unlocks the door. Ran somes in, swooping Conan in her arms. "Good morning Conan-kun!" She compressed all her love in the one hug. "R-Ran-neechan!" Conan sees a white top hat left on the balcony. 

"Conan-kun, I meant to tell you, I am leaving to America!"   
"WHAT?!"   
"Shhh!" She covered Conan's mouth. "No one else knows."   
"The reason?"   
"I have a job interview."   
"In America?"   
"Yeah! So cool! Maybe I can meet more people unfamiliar to me. Sounds graeat huh?" Conan forced a smile. "Fantastic Ran-neechan! Very wonderful!" HIs child voice made her grin. "Thanks! Since my father and Haibara is out, I should pack quickly!" Conan barely noticed that Ran was gone before he knew it. 

The phone rings. Conan answers it. "Conan. I tried and tried. There is no cure. You're gonna be stuck the way you are for the rest of your life." All that is heard is the dial tone. "Stuck...?" Too much has been put on the table. Ran leaving for her "job interview" in America, mom's gone, father's gone (even though he doesn't care), and now he's stuck in this body forever. "KID... KID..." Conan fell, face buried in hands. "KID..."


	11. Pierce in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It pains me so much since these chapters take a while to type. But it is so worth it.

"Conan, for the last time, the APTX 49 poison is uncurable. In my years of research, I have encountered many odd poisons. This poison tops the list." Colorful chemicals pop and sizzle. Conan smashes a glass tube. He kept smashing it until his hand bled. Dr. Agasa grasped Conan's arm. "Stress cannot change the fact that the APTX 49 poison is uncurable." He snatches his arm back. "You're the worst." He trods out the hospital. A nurse walks in, hearing the smash of glass moments ago. "Feeling well Agasa-san?"   
"Yes." He cleans the blood. "I'm fine." 

The darkness of night knocks on its door. Streetlights lit the neighborhoods in white. Conan crawled in a corner of Ran's room. He sniffed the air. "Tantei-kun~." He groans. "What is it KID?" Conan refrained from showing any relief. "I can't do my special heists if my special person is in a state of woe." He steps into Ran's room through the same window as yesterday. 

"All these problems are eating me from the inside like a parasite. Without a logical explanation. Does the world hate me? Does it enjoy my suffering? I do good things yet I end up with bad things."  
"Tantei-kun. Whomever is up in the skies, watching you, watching me, watching everyone, is doing all this for a reason."   
"Hopefully a valid reason." KID saw tissue covering most of the floor. 

"The small and intellectual detective crying? Now I've really seen everything"   
"Shut up KID." Conan left to the balcony. KID swiftly follwed him there. The constellations twinkled in the night sky. Conan watched the skies stare back at him. "KID, if you know I am not six, guess my age." KID beamed. He really liked to guess. "15?"   
"Close."   
"Twenty?"   
"Lower."  
"Eleven?"   
"Go up."   
"Twelve?"   
"A little more."   
"Fourteen in a half?"   
"Seventeen."   
"Me too!" KID clapped. "We are almost eighteen Tantei-kun! You know we could--"   
"Hey I hear Sonoko-chan calling me well I am gonna exit first." Conan shuffled from the balcony. "Thanks KID." He whispered. "Your welcome future partner~." Conan kicked a soccer ball at KID, causing him to fall over the balcony. Conan leaves KID to his fake wailing. 

A very peaceful night changes to a rough morning. "My daughter got kidnapped?!" Mr. Mouri checked the entire house and nothing. Ran left no note. "My little daughter is gone and you have no idea where she is?!"   
"First, yelling is uneccessary, Two, I may be her best friend, doesn't mean I have any clue of her whereabouts all the time!" Mr. Mouri shoves Sonoko. "You, in addition to others, have put a bad influence on MY little girl. The only child I have." He storms off. 

Conan peers in. "Sonoko-chan, is everything alright?"   
"No Conan-kun. Ran-chan is missing." Conan feigns astonishment. "She went missing?" He played along as if he knew nothing of sorts. "During the night, I saw her sleeping in bed like a angel. Now, she is gone like the sun on a stormy day." She crouches, crying."

"Ran-chan... Ran-chan..." Sonoko clenched the carpet beneath her. "Your sins. The men you had intercourse with for money. The people that died within your reach."   
"She slept with men for money?" Conan thought she loved Shinichi. Sonoko cried even more. "Conan-kun, as a friend, I suggest you forget about what I said just now." Conan bolted from the house. His body acted before his brain did. 

The truth can hurt. My how painful it is. "Hey kid!" It devours your insides, spreading its sins within. Lies, murder, molestaion, theft. The sins happen. "Unhand me! Get off!" The world drowns in it. Making it nearly impossible to escape. "Unzip the shorts." Nowadays, sins are commited behind closed curtains. "Let me go!" Helpless. Uncapable to defend for themselves. The sin's touch is warm. 

KID loosens his tie once he got home. The clock ticked away in the silence that filled the house. "If Aoko-chan was alive I would ask her to live with me. He plopped himself on the sofa. He clicked the TV on. Commercials, commercials, commercials. "Just dandy." A loud thud. "Thank heavens." Anything at this moment was better than TV. 

"Yeah?" He felt someone grab his pants legs. "Tantei-kun?!" He carries Conan inside. Settling Conan down, questions bursted one by one. "Where did those bruises come from? Why are your clothes torn? What happened Tantei-kun? Who is the person that hurt you? Do they live around the Mouri residence? Have you seen them before? Do they have names? Wait! I got a first-aid kit!" He sped in and out of the short hallway, a big white case in his grip. 

KID bandaged and painfully sewed Conan's wounds. Conan stared into KID's sea blue eyes. They glistened in worry, a touch of sadness, lonliness. "I can see it." Conan said. "Excuse me?"   
"I can see it. The emotions embedded in your eyes. Probably in your thoughts also." KID laughs. "Very funny Tantei-kun! For a moment I thought—" Conan closed the gap beteen them. 

"No jest KID." He removes his hat. "Haha. You got me. But firstly Tantei-kun, tell me. The injuries?" Conan wraps himself around KID's cape. "Six men." Conan's grip on the cape tightened. KID waves dissmissively. "Sorry I asked."   
"It's fine." KID encircles himself around Conan. "I think Tantei-kun needs a hug~!" He sang harmoniously. Conan, not even thinking, buried his head in KID's chest. 

Fresh smelling flowers. Roses, daffodils, tulips, sunflowers galore. "Wow." She retrieves the card from her purse. She looks up. "This must be the place." The doors slide automatically. "Pretty fancy." She enters. "Mouri Ran. Welcome." A man in a smoke gray suit kneels, takes her hand and kisses it. "Nice meeting you too." The two stroll over by a man with a black suit. He looked a little older than the other man. "Sir, this is Mouri Ran."   
"Mouri Ran. A beautiful name." She tosses her hair back. 

"Thanks. My father gave me the name." She caresses the older man. "I am very known in Japan."   
"I bet you are." Both of the man began touching her. "Before anything goes down, let's do this in less open places." The two men lifted her up, taking her to a secluded area where not even a insect is seen. "Good." Ran slowly removed her clothing. "Beg for me will you?" 

Sonoko drank tea. She hated tea. She felt like throwing it and letting it crash into a million pieces. "Ran-chan loved tea." Sonoko watched the clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. The tranqulity was so unbearable. "I have to find Ran." She checks Ran's bedroom for anything that could tell here where Ran set off to. 

Sonoko set foot into Ran's bedroom. Pictures of Ran having intercourse with other men were plastred all over the four walls. Pictures a child should never lay eyes on. "Sonoko... -chan?" Conan laid eyes on every picture in the whole room. Sonoko thrusted Conan out of the room, locking it behind her. 

"Ran-niichan... is this real?" The pictures stored in Conan's memory. No matter how much he wanted to extrude them out, they came right back in as if he seen them a millisecond ago. Sounds of tearing eructed from behind the locked door. Then screams blown out. Wailing all the more. "RAN-CHAN!!!" Too real to be a lie. Too real to be a false horror story. 

Sonoko read the one word that hung over her on the ceiling: America. 

"Agasa-san! Agasa-san!" A frantic nurse rushed past all the other doctors and nurses. "Yes?" His patience wore thin. "Agasa-san good news!"   
"Elaborate." Her talking ceased so she could catch her breath. "The APTX poison... I found a cure."   
"Don't jest with me."   
"I rarely jest Agasa-san." She said almost harshly. "I found the cure." He flips throught the documents. "Good." He wondered of about Conan's reaction. Happy? Relieved? Thrilled? Wait. Should he even tell Conan or Haibara? The answer lied within him. 

The two men tired themselves out. Ran? Still "energized" since she had done it on so may occasions. "So typical." She snatched the men's wallets, abandoning them. "I will need these." Her ear twitched. A whirring sound. She steadily turns. "A camera? Damn." Alarms blared. She took off running. Security blocked all the exits. An metal object is pressed against her back. A gun. 

"State your name."   
"Ran Mouri."  
"Occupation?" She went silent. For all she knew, her occupation is sleeping with people for their valuables. "Empty your pockets." She emptied her pockets. Only two wallets hit the floor. "Where are you from Ms. Ran?"   
"Japan." She said proudly. "Identification?" She dug deeper into her pockets. A more rounder object showed itself. "Drop the weapons." Ran commanded, taking out the object. "A grenade?!" Ran grabbed hold of the key to the grenade by a finger.

"Drop your weapons." She repeated again. The chief waved. All the security dropped their weapons. "Good. Now, here is what I want..."


	12. There is only one truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter. Oh how I hate making the last chapter. But all stories have to come to an end at some point.

Sonoko alongside Conan was at the airport. Sonoko pays the amount to the man behind the desk. "Okay Conan-kun. Let's go." The two took no clothing at all. Conan had his Shinichi and Conan phone whereas Sonoko had a pink charm bracelet Ran gave her years ago. 

The trip to America: over thirteen hours. When they arrived in America they were lost. Barely anyone spoke Japanese. As the heat of the day drove on, a yelling thunderstorm took place. "Conan-kun! Look!" And there she was. Mouri Ran in the living, breathing, flesh. Sonoko broke down the glass. "Ran-chan." Said Sonoko, her voice soft. Conan soaked in the scene. Ran held a grenade, guns right below the officers, parents and small children scrunched up in a corner. Could the scene be any worse? "Sonoko-chan, Conan-kun. Is there a reason you're here?"   
"Ran-niichan. Stop this. Killing will do absolutely nothing."   
"Sure?" He fell silent. "Let me elaborate Conan-kun. I want power." Power she said? 

Power is control. Dominance. The golden key to the almighty gate of heaven. "My whole life people have been controlling my well-being. My mother, father, grandparents. When I done it with ALL those men, they gave in before the climax. My veins pumped and boiled in the thrill of it. Not only did I want sexual power, I wanted every form of power. So I started here."   
"Ran-chan! I think you are losing your mind!" Sonoko seized her arm. "These people deserve to live Ran-chan! Give me the grenade please!" Ran held the grenade higher.

Conan leaps, snatching the grenade from Ran. Sonoko loosened her grip on Ran's arm. "Sorry." And so the incident swept away in the skies. Nobody spoke of it since. 

Months tumbled over and Conan was still... Conan. Dr. Agasa kept the antidote. "The sweet liquid that is the antidote for the APTX 49 poison." He marveled its beauty as if it is a finished painting. "Agasa-san, a visitor." He hid the antidote in a drawer. "Come in." A little girl with light brown hair appears. "Agasa." The girl hated such a name. "Ai Haibara?" He tried touching the scar that ruined her. "The antidote Agasa."   
"Antidote?"   
"For the APTX 49 poison." He dug in the drawer, showing it to her. 

"This anitdote? Oh but why give the antidote to the girl who gave herself and Conan-kun the poison in the first place?" Haibara hissed. "By accident." The poison was supposed to be spoiled lemonade mixed amongst other things. For Shinichi to drink as a prank. From Dr. Agasa. Haibara hated her decision since. 

"Accident or no accident, the both of you drank it." Haibara tackled Agasa. Both of them rolled around the rather big room. Punching, biting, and tearing. "Hand over the antidote Agasa-san! WE ARE INFECTED BY THE POISON!!! NOT YOU!!!" She slams him against a counter. The antidote flew out from Agasa's hand out of the open window. Haibara shoves Agasa, watching the antidote fall twenty stories. "The antidote." 

It broke as a head would if a person dropped twenty stories. "The antidote. The antidote. The freaking antidote." Haibara drags herself from the room. "The antidote." Droplets of water created a trail until Haibara slams the door shut. Agasa could only stare at the droplets that were left. 

The trio returns from America, back at the residence. It is asif they never left. "Sonoko-chan?"   
"Yes Ran-chan?"   
"Is Haibara here?""   
"No. I think she went to speak with Agasa-san. She departed a little while before all of the things that went on today, happened." Conan thought for a moment. 'Haibara seeing Agasa-san?' He gasped. 'The antidote.' Conan makes a run for it. "Conan-kun?!" Shouted the two women. Conan said not a word back. 

KID is given thanks by mother nature for letting it snow. Schools shut down until further notice. "Tantei-kun better be okay." How can he know? Conan never worries for himself, only for others. For all KID knew, Conan puts his own life on the line instead of someone else. KID is the phantom thief. Whenever he stole, he acts like an egotistical person. 

A dove flew in. KID propped open his laptop, petting the little bird. "Such a good bird." He types in his password, unlocking it. The screen showed the Mouri residence amongst other places he Conan left to. His favorite one to look at was the Mouri residence bathroom camera. Particularly when Conan was brushing his teeth, or trying to see himself in the mirror. That part amused KID. Conan, being short, always tried his hardest to not use the stepping stool. Hopping and jumping endlessly. He can picture Conan in a bunny suit for holloween. 

One of the split cam screens caught his attention. The dove must be in the hospital Dr. Agasa works in. He seen Conan and Haibara arguing with Dr. Agasa. KID clicked on the screen, putting it in full view. He turns the sound on. "Conan-kun, Agasa-san had the cure the whole time! Hiding it from us!"   
"Preposterous. I heard about this cure just mere hours before anyone else knew."   
"Then he let it fall and shatter on the ground! Twenty or more stories below us!"   
"Haibara-chan. The fault is partly yours. You've attacked me in order to get the cursed cure."   
"Agasa-san," Conan began. "Can you make another dose?"   
"How? The chemicals used were rare chemicals found in hard to reach places in the world. I cannot magically whip up another!" 

KID turns the laptop off. KID may be a jewel thief, but he is no expert on doctor stuff. Or mechanical stuff. Can he do anything? You know. Other than steal or pull off suave magical tricks? Magic does no good in the reality. Money does not grow on trees or can be pulled out of hats. What can he do? Ran cannot do anything since she has no clue that Conan is Shinichi. Even KID juft figured out Conan was Shinichi. 

Conan is unaware Ran might have a solution. A solution Conan would hate for the rest of his life. "Get out." A simple two words spilled from her mouth at Conan. "Come again Ran-niichan?"   
"Get out. Do you want me to spell it out?"   
"W-Why Ran-niichan?"   
"If a tree has roots and one isn't doing right, get rid of it."   
"Have I done any wrong?"   
"Lied about your whereabouts constantly, befriended a criminal, kissed that same criminal, and the one thing that hurts me most..." She gathered her voice again." 

"Lie to me about Shinichi. Knowing that Shinichi is standing right in front of me." So Haibara did tell her. "Leave Conan. Don't ever come back." She bursted in tears. "GO!!!" Conan felt like his heart had been slashed. He left, strangled in guilt. Could everything be resolved if he told her in advance? Maybe. If time machines existed... 

KID flew over the Ran domocile. The sight of Conan dragging his bookbag school enthralled him. KID was kinda glad the dawn of night came so no one can see the thief himself. "Tantei-kun. Kids should be in bed by now."   
"This kid has no bed. Or a roof over his head." Conan kept walking. 

KID thought long and hard on what to say next. "Live with me."  
"Come again?!" Did he heard what he think he just heard? "Live with me. A criminal would kill you or steal what'cha had. Have I done so? no." He brought his face closer to his. "Plus, I think it would be adorable having you living in my house. Wearing my pajamas even though you're way too small for them." Conan drowned in a state of pondering. 

'Living? KID? In his house? Did it make sense? I sometimes (always) do wonder what KID does on a daily basis. Can it too mean I can see KID's true identity?' He pinched himself. No. This is reality. Reality. Reality. "Alright. But no funny tricks." Conan warned. KID lifts Conan by the shirt. 

"Fine by me." Both Conan and KID vanish in a thick cloud of smoke. 

"Ran-chan?"  
"Yes Sonoko-chan?"   
"Has Conan-kun been to school today?"   
"Conan-kun moved." Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi sat crisscrossed. "Conan-kun moved?! But he is of six years!" Bellowed Mitsuhiko. "Well, he did. Deal with it or don't. Either way is fine by me." Ran folded her arms, caring less of whether or not Conan is homeless. 

Haibara locked herself in her room. Reluctant to partake in the conversation going on with the others. She heard it though. "Conan-kun, am I stupid?" She saw the sun. "Why am I asking you of all people?" She did the most wrong towards Conan. Revealing his secret to his father whom probably never loved him. She regrets it all. She atones for her sins. So many mistakes. And she regrets it.

"Aplogize." Is the option she agreed to do. She cannot fix the past occurences. "I should aplogize." She left a short note on the desk before she departed. The note written in black ink read: 

If a baby is born, it is a beautiful sight  
Once he or knows the truth, shall it be right?   
I made so many mistakes, I did  
My mind is still set, it hasn't gone off the grid  
The final decision I have now made  
Flip the card over, leave to the spade

She leaped out of the window, landing in bushes. She fled tothe house not even Ran knew of. The house of KID the phantom thief himself. "Conan's there." Haibara knew Conan all too well. She had doubts though. Maybe he moved in with Heiji, or Wateru. "Conan's with KID." Haibara knew. Conan probably trusted KID the most. 

"Haibara-chan! Haibara-chan!" Ayumi became worried. She barely seen Haibara in a while. She even stopped coming to school.Ayumi went upstairs. "Haibara-chan!" She entered the room of Ai Haibara. 

"Haibara-chan... hm?" A note shown itself sitting on the small desk. She read it. "Oh my god." She stuffed the note in her skirt pocket. "Mistuhiko-kun! Genta-kun! Our parents called from the phone upstairs! They said they want you home in five minutes!" Mistuhiko and Genta gathered ther thing in a swiftly quick manner, ashing out of the house.   
Ayumi stopped both boys' from running any further.

"Ayumi-chan! Let go please! We are in a hurry!" Mitsuhikos foot tapped rapidly. Genta marched in place. "My mommy is gonna kill me if I—"   
"Niether of your mothers called!" Shouted Ayumi. She retieves the note from her pocket, shoving it at them. 

Mitsuhiko and Genta read the note. Mitsuhiko's face tinted a lemonade pink due to Gentas closeness. Luckily for him, Ayumi cared more of the real problem here: the note Haibara wrote. The last sntemce struck Mitsuhiko the most. "Flip the card over, leave to the spade." Mistuhiko repeated. "Solitaire maybe?" Genta guessed. Mitsuhiko shook his head. "No Genta-kun. KID."   
"KID?!" Ayumi's worry meter rose. "She could be at KID's hideout!"   
"Possibly."   
"Does KID have a house that is his hideout?" Genta asks. "Good point Genta!" Ayumi praises. 

"Impossible." Said Mitsuhiko. "If the house is some sort of hideout, the house probably doesn't stick out like the other houses around here." He flips the note. "Hey, there is directions." Genta and Ayumi peeked. "The directions seem pretty accurate." Genta rubs his arm. Ayumi dragged Mistuhiko and Genta. "Come on then! Haibara needs us!" Mistuhiko read the directions over again. 'Why would Haibar write these directions?'

Conan saw at a second glance tha KID's so-called house was an utter mess. He though that if his suits were white and clean, that his house would be too. "Messy right? Trust me I know. A person with OCD would die of all these clothes all over the place, never washed." Conan picked up the clothes, mumbling as he did so. 

"Conan-kun?" He spun around, clothes in both hands. "Haibara-chan?" She figured out where Conan was very quickly. KID blended into the background, uninvolving himself in the converse. "I apologize, Conan-kun. The things I said from the beginning to now was wrong. I never should've told your secret to your father. Or Ran-chan. I hate being at fault for all of this. I hope you can accept my sincere apology." Here eyes, bloodshot red. She cried. She dug her nails in her skin. Conan drops the clothes, stopping Haibara from doing any more harm on herself. 

"I accept your apology Haibara-chan. Just stop huting yourself okay?" Haibara nestled her head in Conan's shoulder. Once again, three people came right in unannounced. Ayumi cheers. "The directions were right! Yay!" Haibara rotated her body rapidly, smirking at the triad. "The very moment I left, I knew you three would follow."   
"The directions was for us?" Ayumi asked. "Of course. Who else?" Mitsuhiko approached Conan. 

"Conan-kun, is there a reason Ran-chan kicked you out?"   
"The secrets I've refrained from telling her."   
"What secrets?" Conan sighs. Ran, Haibara, and KID himself knew, so he guessed they deserved a right to know also. "I'm Shinichi Kudo. A teenager trapped in a child's body because of a poison known as the APTX 49 poison." So they could believe him, he pulled out the medical documents further explaining said poison. 

After reading the medical documents, Mitsuhiko smiles just the tiniest bit. "Does Hiabara have it too?"   
"Yes she does have the poison in her also."  
"Is there a cure?" Queried Genta. "There was. It's gone now."   
" So you're both stuck like this?" Conan didn't reply back. His pained facial expression he made already told the answer.

"Well, on the bright side, you can go to high school." Ayumi tried making Conan a little happy. It worked a little. "Yeah."   
"Regardless, you are still a Detective Boys member." Haibara, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Genta, embraced Conan. "May I have a moment with KID?" The four released from the embrace, exiting the house.

Conan yanked KID down to his level, kissing him. "Kuroba Kaito." He whispers into KID's ear. KID blushed for the very first time. Conan almost died laughing. KID tried getting a wod out but he just could not. "Speechless KID?" Conan dangled KID's school ID. KID snatched it back. "No fair Tantei-kun! No fair!" KID huffed. Conan loved KID's blushing face. 

KID snatched a kiss from Conan. He blushed as red as a stop sign. "Now your face is funny!" Conan and KID after a short while fell in silence. "KID, why'd you kiss me a month ago?" Conan felt very uncomfortable asking such a question. "I like you Tantei-kun."  
"Like as in...?"   
"Well, like as in..." KID lifted his chin up, planting his soft lips on Conan's. The kiss lasted longer than the others. Ayumi watched in shock. "I cannot wait to find love!" Mitsuhiko looked at Genta. 

"Yeah." He blushed. "Neither can I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! The story's over! I hate it but that's how it is. Maybe I should make one of Mitsuhiko and Genta. I don't know. But I hope you liked it!


End file.
